When the Princess met the Viking
by cjupsher
Summary: In an attempt to end the war between the Hooligan and Berkserker tribe Hiccup inadvertently kills Dagur. Hiccup makes himself the scapegoat to protect his home from retaliation of the Berserker tribe and goes into exile. He plans to hide in the highland where no Viking would dare to go and meets a redheaded princess. Will she kill him? Perhaps. Do not own HTTYD or Brave.
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

_Berk. A small island in the harsh barbaric archipelago inhabited by the Viking tribe known as the Hairy Hooligans. This tribe of Vikings were known for being one of the fiercest and most powerful in the waters of the archipelago. What made this tribe so powerful though was not its size, for relatively speaking they were a rather small tribe, it was the fact that they rode Dragons. The dragons who had at once been their most feared enemies were now faithful companions who lived peacefully among Viking society. Unlike most tribes who would abuse such a companionship to raid, plunder, and conquer, the Hooligan tribe only used them to defend their island and their way of life. What caused such as strange way of life after 300 years of war. It was a boy. A young Viking known as Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III. A young man gifted with a great mind but cursed with weak body and making him an outcast at one point wanted nothing more than to kill a dragon, for to kill a dragon in Viking society was everything. When he finally had the chance to kill a dragon and be accepted as a true member of the tribe he did what no Viking in 300 years had ever done. Hiccup showed mercy. This act a mercy would forge a friendship that would change everything Vikings believed they knew about dragons. And it did. After slaying the Red Death with his faithful companion, freeing the dragons who been under her thrall, and saving his tribe Hiccup had gained everything he ever wanted. The Hooligan tribe would no longer slay dragons unless absolutely necessary. Dragons however, were still dragons and peace with a once long time enemy could not be established overnight. Thus the Dragon Academy of Berk was founded with its mission to learn all about dragons and integrate them in everyday life with Hiccup as the head. _

_Through series of trial and error and many trial by fires Hiccup and the dragon riders of the academy showed the tribe how the dragons could benefit their lives and flourish alongside them. However, not everyone saw the Hooligans' new way of life as a symbol of peace and understanding that it was. Some saw the dragons as only one thing. A new weapon. These individuals included Alvin the Treacherous chief of the Outcast tribe, a man once loyal to Berk turned enemy and Dagur the Deranged leader of the powerful Berserker tribe whose bloodlust was eclipsed only by his insanity. Through various attempts to destroy Berk and learn the secrets to riding dragons Hiccup was able to perform another miracle. He was able to bring peace between the Outcast tribe and the Hooligans by reestablishing the once strong friendship between Stoick the Vast, his father and leader of his tribe, and Alvin. Dagur however could not be swayed._

_After many failed attempts to capture Hiccup's dragon, Toothless, and destroy Hiccup Dagur finally declared war on Berk. With the dragons on their side along with the new alliance with the Outcast the Hooligan tribe was not only able to hold their own but overwhelm the powerful and immense Berserker tribe. The sheer size of the enemy tribe however allowed them to wage war for three whole years. _

_Now after three years of war and another year or two of continued conflict in the foreseeable future a final strategy to end the war was in the works. _


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 1: The Plan**

Inside the mead hall a group of almost 30 Vikings were gathered around a large wooden table. Spread out on the table was a map of the known regions of the archipelago. A little over half the Vikings consisted of Hooligan tribe and the remaining number were the Outcasts.

Staring intently at the map and focused on one island in particular was the largest man in the entire room. Stoick the Vast, chief of the Hooligan tribe and a Viking known throughout the entire waters of the archipelago for his strength and leadership. With his massive size and wild red beard he embodied the epitome of what it meant to be a Viking. He wore a green tunic with a cape of yak fur draped across his back, a metal helmet with great horns jutting from the right and left side, and studded leather cuffs and a belt with a dragon insignia inscribed on it. With a deep sigh he looked up from the map at the Viking standing across the large table from him.

"Are you certain Alvin? Are you really certain that Dagur is here on this island?" Stoick asked gesturing to an island on the map with his massive forefinger.

"For the last time Stoick. I'm positive that he's there. My scouts have confirmed his location multiple times already" Said the man in annoyance. Alvin the Treacherous was a man with a stature that rivaled even Stoicks. He was broader than Stoick but a little shorter and he had a horned helmet, with spiked metal shoulder pads, a wild beard of brown hair, with chainmail covering his entire torso, and leather wristbands one with spikes and one with studs.

Looming over the map with his head down once more Stoick continued to stare at the island. This war had gone on long enough and though the Hooligans had hardly lost any of its members due in thanks to the dragons it was cutting into resources. For the sake of his people Stoick needed this war to end and for the plan the alliance had formulated to work Dagur needed to be on that island.

"I know Alvin. It just—For this plan to be successful we need Dagur to be here."

At that a young Viking to Stoicks right reached out and placed an arm on his shoulder to get his attention. "It true dad, Gustav Larson has confirmed to seeing Dagur on that island he's definitely there" the young man said.

Stoick glanced down to his right into the green eyes of his son. Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III had come a long way from the boy he once was. In the four years since the peace with the dragons he grown both physically and mentally. His brown hair was longer and shaggy with two braids on tied at the back. He sported a light stubble on his chin. He was taller now, standing at an impressive 6'1 and had grown quite muscular from his time in the forge and riding dragons. Of course he would forever be small and scrawny in comparison to his gigantic tribesman, but he walked with an air of confidence that made other Viking see him as a man of equal size. His torso was covered in black leather armor with the one his left should was a large black shoulder pad with a red Viking skull adorned on it. On a strap connecting the right shoulder pad was the insignia of the Hooligan tribe to show his allegiance. His forearms were of a red leather and on his left one was a dagger. His right leg had leather strap that ran down and tucked into his boot. The left leg had a metal prosthetic just below the shin. The prosthetic was a design of his own creation that he had made and continuously upgraded after losing his leg in the battle with the red death.

"Don't worry dad this plan will work and we'll finally put an end to this war" he said with a determination written all over his face.

Stoick had never been more proud of his son. The young man had grown into someone he could trust wholeheartedly with the safety of Berk. He was intelligent, brave, and compassionate, with a brilliant strategic mind. Yes one day Hiccup would make a fine chief one who would surpass all his predecessors. Stoick was sure of that.

"Ok son." Stoick took a deep breath and rose to his full height. Taking a sweep of the room to make sure he had everyone's attention he spoke. "Now let's go over the plan one more time. We take five Hooligan ships and ten Outcast ships with our men and surround the island to ensure Dagur can't escape by ship."

Hiccup step up and spoke the next part of the plan "Then the riders will swoop in and burn the ship that are ashore. Then we capture Dagur, bring him to Berk, and force him to call off this stupid war."

"Right son" Stoick said turning his head toward his son and nodding. "Is everyone clear on the plan? Anyone object?" Stoick said surveying the room to see if anyone had anything to input.

When he saw no one move to say anything he put his hands on his hips, "Ok good." Turning to Alvin he said "Alvin get your men and get to your ships" he paused and turned to face his own people before continuing "HOOLIGANS. Get your weapons ready and head to the ships. And son." He added before turning to face Hiccup, "Assemble 10 riders and tell them to saddle up. We're going to end this."

Hiccup nodded before dashing out of the hall. Exiting the giant doors to the hall he saw his trusted companion lightly dozing in the light of the setting sun. A smile crept to his face as he approached his scaly best friend. The dragon, like Hiccup, had grown in the last few years. He gained an additional four feet of length and he now sported an impressive 52 foot wingspan. Hiccup had also improved the dragon's saddle and prosthetic tail fin allowing them to increase their speed even more over the years. Upon hearing his approach the black dragon's eyes opened and turned his yellow-green eyes to Hiccup. The dragon quickly rose to his feet before bounding over to meet his rider and bumping his snout into his chest and warbling in greeting.

Hiccup scratched the dragon under the chin earning a rumbling purr in response. "I know bud that took longer than expected. But right now we gotta go to the academy and tell the other to get ready." Toothless nodded and lowered himself slightly while Hiccup moved to the dragon's side before mounting and clicking his prosthetic into the stirrup. "Let's go bud," Hiccup said while patting the black dragon on the head.

Toothless nodded in agreement before crouching, spreading his wings, and taking to the sky. Hiccup adjusted the tailfin to level Toothless out before turning him in direction of the academy

* * *

At the dragon academy the riders were patiently waiting for Hiccup to return give them an update on what was happening. Along with the original five riders present the academy had grown to include 15 more riders.

Snotlout was sitting against his partner Hookfang wondering what was going to happen. Snotlout had changed little over the years. He was now the shortest of his friends and had a light stubble long his chin and upper lip. Being the shortest didn't seem to anything to hurt his arrogance though for he had pride to spare. He was still cocky and boastful but he had matured a little and put the village's safety above everything else. He wore a jacket of black fur with a leather belt inscribed with symbol of the Jorgenson clan. On his head was a metal helmet with ram horns on both sides.

To his left was the biggest and most intelligent of the riders, Fishlegs, with his dragon Meatlug. The large Viking was recognized as the top authority on dragon (after Hiccup of course) and keeper of the Book of Dragons. He was now the head teacher when it came to the more educational activities in the academy. The walking dragon encyclopedia had grown even bigger than when he was younger. He was still chubby but his arms and body were also packed with solid muscle. His helmet was ridiculously small on his head with tiny horns jutting from both sides. He wore a fur shirt of light brown fur with a cape of darker shade hanging from his shoulders and going down his back. He was lovingly scratching his partner's head and speaking in a baby voice to her telling her how pretty she was and how much he loved her eyes.

To the left of Fishlegs were the twins Ruffnut and Tuffnut. They were currently arguing about who knows what and getting into each other's face while throwing punches and kicks while their respective dragon heads just watched apathetically (they were very used to their riders constant quarrels and learned it was best let them fight it out). Tuffnut had grown taller over the years and had styled his hair into dreadlock that rand down the front and back of his head. He wore a vest of dark fur with studded leather armband that ran the length of his wrist to his just below his elbows. He also wore studded boots with spiked knee pads. His helmet had a series of spikes going down its middle with two sets of horn on both sides. His sister had also grown and had a slender frame and face. She wore a dark tunic with a fur vest of a light brown shade. Her blond hair was tied in two ponytails that extended the length of her body and reached down to waist. She sported a helmet similar to her brother but with a smaller set of horns. The twins had hardly changed over the years. They still loved destruction and would often pull pranks at the expense of the villagers while they just watched on and laughed.

Lastly there was Astrid Hofferson, Hiccup's lieutenant and lover for a little over three years. She was currently standing and scratching her Deadly Nadder, Stormfly, under the chin while they waited for Hiccup to arrive. Like her friends Astrid had grown taller over the years. Her face had matured and lost all of its baby fat and her body was now full figured. Her hair had gotten longer and was tied in a single braid that ran down her left side of her head and came over her shoulder and reached to just above her ribcage. She was relatively small for a shieldmaiden but her skill made her one of the fiercest and toughest Vikings of her generation. Her outfit had changed to a red form fitting shirt with fingerless fur gloves that extended up to her elbow. She wore a spiked skirt with a belt of skulls over blue legging which tucked into fur boots. She still wore her studded metal shoulder pad that she had as a kid and draped over them was a beige colored fur cape than went down to her mid back.

In the beginning days of the academy Astrid kept her relationship with Hiccup fairly platonic. She wasn't in any urge to rush into a relationship with the savior of the village for concern that her intention may have been seen as an attempt to climb the social ladder. Plus she still hadn't full come to terms with what she felt for the young hero. After years of seeing him as nothing but a nuisance she couldn't accept that she could just fall head over heels in love with him at the drop of a yak. Plus head over heels was not the Astrid way. But after spending time with Hiccup and watching his cunning, bravery, and compassion for dragon and human alike and countlessly saving the village from danger her feeling started to blossom. She finally saw Hiccup for who he truly was an awkward, intelligent, brave, and adorable Viking. A strange Viking without a doubt, but a Viking in his own right. And his recent growth spurt also hadn't hurt either.

Suddenly a familiar roar drew all the riders' attention and as they looked up they saw the infamous duo approach and come in the gateway and into the academy.

After dismounting Toothless Hiccup approached his friends and prepared to tell them the situation. The main riders all dropped what they were doing and approached Hiccup anxious to hear what was going to happen. On the outside of the academy the other younger riders in their teens all listened closely for they knew seriousness of what was supposed to happen.

"Ok everyone listen up. The plan is a go. We know where Dagur is and we're preparing to go capture him," Hiccup said loudly so that all the riders could hear.

"Finally! You know how long I've been waiting to get some action," Snotlout said excitedly while cracking his neck. "Hookfang has been wanting to get out there too. His inner warrior has been caged too long. Ain't that right Hookfang," Snotlout said looking back to his partner.

The Monstrous Nightmare raised its head slightly, growled in agreement before exhaling smoke from his nostrils.

"I know, I know, we were just confirming Dagur's location and going over the plan once more. Speaking of which does everybody remember the plan?" Hiccup asked looking to all the riders for confirmation.

"Of course we do" interjected Tuffnut. "It's…uh…uh…wait…don't rush me….It's on the tip of my tongue."

"We blow stuff up?" His sister so helpfully offered.

"Yeah exactly, what she said. I like the way you think sis." Tuffnut said before he and his sister clanged their helmets together in a familiar head-butt.

Astrid sighed in annoyance and rolled her eyes before turning to Hiccup. "How about you tell us the plan one more time. Just so we ALL know it." Astrid said while motioning with her head toward the twins.

Hiccup resisted the urge to palm his face and nodded his head in agreement. He took a deep breath before continuing. "Ok the plan is to capture Dagur, who is currently hiding out on Blackraven Island. Five of our ships and ten Outcast ships will surround the island on all sides to make sure he can't escape on a small boat that may be hidden on the island. Then the six of us along with five more riders will attack the camp and capture him. Then we bring him to Berk and force him to call off this pointless war." Hiccup raised his hand to silence Tuffnut before continuing, "And yes Tuffnut we will be blowing stuff up."

"I like this plan. That's much better than our plan," Tuffnut said while rubbing his hand together excitedly.

"So besides us who else are we gonna take?" Fishlegs added.

Hiccup looked to his friend before averting his gaze and tapping his chin in thought. He went through a mental list of the academy members before coming to decision.

"Ok coming with us will be Gustav, Erlend, Frodi, Amma, and Snagtooth." Hiccup said while looking up the academy members outside the kill ring.

They all nodded their head in confirmation before Hiccup addressed the rest of the academy. "The rest of you stay on Berk and protect the tribe. We'll be back. Everyone going on the mission grab your gear, saddle up, and head down to the docks. You got five minutes." Hiccup said with seriousness.

He turned toward Toothless and then mounted. He was about to tell his friend to go before and hand on his shoulder got his attention. He turned right and looked into the beautiful blue eyes of his girlfriend.

"You okay?" She asked mildly concerned.

"Yeah. I'm just ready for this war to be over ya know?"

"Trust me I know…Just don't worry so much. The plan is solid it'll work," Astrid said giving his shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

"I know. Just get everyone ready and meet me at the docks ok?"

Astrid nodded in agreement before grabbing Hiccup by the front of his leather armor and pulling him down for a quick peck on the lips. Pulling back she gave a small smile while lightly blushing. Hiccup return the smile with his trademark crooked grin before directing Toothless out of the academy. His scaly mount quickly took to the sky and headed straight for the dock where men were preparing to set sail.

"This ends today bud," Hiccup said quietly to Toothless. He dragon gave a growl in agreement before descending and preparing to land.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 2: The Attack**

Hiccup and the other riders flew at a slow pace and flew lazy circles around their forces' ships. Hiccup was anxious. Apart of him wanted to just fly ahead with the other riders and start the attack. But the slight chance that Dagur could slip away amidst the chaos kept him from taking such rash action. Instead he tried to focus on the steady wing beats of his loyal friend. Hiccup always marveled at the strength that Toothless possessed. Toothless wasn't the largest of the dragons species and yet he could be one of the fiercest. His unrivaled speed, accuracy, and power of his plasma blast were devastating, and his great intelligence made him a match for nearly any foe. Yes he had lost count of how many times Toothless had saved him from peril and he considered himself extremely lucky to have such a loyal companion. _Once we end this war Toothless will be safe. We won't have to worry about that lunatic anymore._ With that thought his mind drifted back to Dagur. His arch enemy. A small flame of hate burned inside Hiccup as he thought of that accursed human being.

Hiccup had never really hated anyone before. Even back when he was bullied and ostracized by his entire tribe he just couldn't bring himself to hate any one of them. Even when his idiot cousin Snotlout did and said terrible things to him as kids he just let it go. Even when said cousin continued to flirt with _his_ girlfriend he just sighed in annoyance and shrugged it off. But Dagur was a different story. He truly and utterly hated Dagur. The man was just insane. There was absolutely no reasoning with him. Hiccup had never done anything that he could see to truly warrant Dagur's obsessive desire to destroy him and obtain Toothless. Whatever the reason, Hiccup didn't care beacuse no force would ever separate him and Toothless.

"Hiccup!" A voice called that snapped Hiccup from his thoughts. Gazing to the left he saw Astrid pull Stormfly alongside Toothless. "Blackraven Island is in sight." She said motioning with her head to the island becoming visible in the distance. "It's almost time to start the operation. You ready?" She asked with a determined look in her eyes as she locked eyes with Hiccup through his leather riding mask.

Hiccup shook his head to clear his thoughts. He had to push aside his hate of Dagur for now. He needed focus he needed his actions to be guided by reason and not emotion. Turning his gaze back to the shieldmaiden he nodded in confirmation. Then he directed Toothless to dive. He swooped down and leveled out alongside the ship where his father was.

Stoick was standing at the bow of the ship. Hands at his sides he stared at the island the ship was slowly approaching. His mind was focused on the task at hand. He knew his part and trusted his son and his friends to carry out theirs.

"Dad!" The voice of his son made him turn to starboard to see Hiccup and his dragon flying alongside the ship. "Blackraven Island is in sight. Are we a go?" Stoick took a breath to steady his nerves and locked eyes with his son.

"Yes son. Commence the operation," Stoick reponded. Hiccup nodded and was about to adjust the tailfin to direct Toothless to gain altitude when he quickly added, "And good luck son."

Hiccup looked at his father and smiled underneath his riding helmet. "Thanks dad." He gave a nod before adjusting the tailfin and gaining altitude on Toothless.

Rejoining the riders in the sky he made a hand signal directing them all to climb to height of the clouds and head toward the island. The riders all nodded and directed their dragon upwards. Past the cloud cover they all increased their speed till they were above the island. On the west side of the island from which they were approaching they saw the Berserker ships. Five of them all pulled ashore. Hiccup could also make out a small campfire and what looked like tents. Upon reaching the island Hiccup directed the riders to remain above the clouds in order to hide. It was night time and while Toothless couldn't be spotted in the dark the other dragons could be. Especially when one of the dragons was a massive red Typhoomerang being flown by Amma. Hiccup and the riders began circling the island as they awaited the signal to begin the attack. The signal was to be a fire made by a ship that would take a position at the rear most position of the island. Then the other ship would light signal fires to show that they were in position. Then the other ships would continue this pattern until the island was surrounded by a circle of torch fire. The riders would attack when the first ship lit its fire. In the dark he could barely make the ships as they slowly approached the island. Slowly the ships began to separate and approximately half went to circle around the left side of the island while the rest went to circle the right side.

After what seemed like hours of circling above the island and keeping his eye on the back of the island Hiccup saw the faint light of a signal torch. Looking to all the riders to ensure that they also saw the torch he was met with 10 faces all looking at him and giving an affirmative nod. Locking eyes with Snotlout he point straight to him and then down to the camp. Snotlout gave a wicked smile before directing Hookfang into a dive.

Hiccup smirked at his cousin's enthusiasm. He knew Snotlout would be eager to draw first blood. Then he steeled himself before adjusting the tailfin and sending Toothless after him. The other riders in tow they quickly approached the ground and readied themselves for battle.

The operation had begun.

* * *

Dagur the Deranged was inside his tent staring at the drawn image of a Night Fury on a table. His face was an angry scowl as he continued to stare at the accursed beast of his obsession. On one hand Dagur wanted the Night Fury more than he wanted anything in his life. On the other hand that damn beast was ridden by the weak and pathetic excuse of a Viking Hiccup. _Hiccup_. Dagur thoughts of the young man only served to worsen his already foul mood. Dagur hated Hiccup more than anything. He hated how scrawny Hiccup was. He hated how short Hiccup was. He hated how much he embodied exactly what a Viking was not supposed to be. Yet what Dagur hated most about Hiccup was how despite all those shortcomings and weaknesses, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III had managed to do something as great as tame a dragon. A Night Fury at that, THE unholy offspring of lighting and death. A dragon so powerful and deadly legends warned that hiding and praying for divine intervention was the only course of action for survival.

His hatred of Hiccup had only grown over the years. At every attempt to capture the Fury Hiccup had managed to best him. When Hiccup had hit his growth spurt Dagur's hatred skyrocketed all the way to Valhalla. For now he had to admit that he found Hiccup just the least bit intimidating. Hiccup actually came off as a threat, an equal, and Dagur hated how much he couldn't deny it to himself. Even worse was that after declaring war on the Hooligan tribe Hiccup had managed to rally an alliance with the Outcasts. Together their forces were able to push back his massive tribe and it was all thanks to Hiccup. Even now Dagur was on this Odin damned island in order to hide. Him. Dagur the Deranged hiding. Though he knew he had no choice and that hiding was the best course of action so that he could regroup and come up with a strategy I didn't mean he liked it.

Suddenly a shout drew his attention from his internal festering. And what one of his men screamed made his blood run cold.

"DRAGONS!"

Dagur put on his helmet and strapped on his sword and battle axe before exiting the tent. Looking around he saw that many of their tents had been set ablaze and the men were scrambling to put out fires and grab their weapons and armor.

"SNOTLOUT! SNOTLOUT! OY! OY! OY!" Came a shout from the sky that drew his attention away from his burning camp and panicked men.

From the sky came a red and orange dragon, a Monstrous Nightmare, which dove and passed over the camp while spewing fire from its mouth that set more of the tents ablaze. On its back he could make out a figure riding on the dragon and recognized him as one of Hiccup's friends.

"It's the Hooligans! Run!" One of his men shouted.

Dagur quickly regained control of himself before issuing an order to counterattack. "BERSERKERS! To the ships use the catapults on the ships to knock them out of the sky." Dagur shouted. He and his men quickly began running to the ships.

Hiccup who saw the Berserks beginning to move towards the ships began to give orders himself. "OK! Twins, Gustav, and Amma you guys take out their ships. The rest of you attack the camp and locate Dagur. GO!"

"On it," Ruffnut responded with a smile. "Oh this is gonna be so much fun!" She squealed in delight.

Dagur and his men were almost at the ships when a roar caught his attention and he saw a Zippleback pass over the ships while spewing that fog like flammable gas. Suddenly the gas was ignited and the ships were all badly burned and scorched save for two. It only got worse when a huge red dragon, even bigger than a Nightmare, grabbed one of the undamaged ship's masts in its talons and lifted it off the ground.

Dagur could only watch, slack jawed, as the ship rose higher and higher before the dragon carried it off toward the center of the island to do Thor knows what to it. On the last remaining ship he saw a yellow and purple Monstrous Nightmare land before setting itself ablaze and tearing the ship apart with its claws. Dagur could not believe it. None of his men had been able to reach a single one of their ships. There had to be at least 10 dragons in the sky still burning his camp to the ground. There was no means of escape and fighting was pointless.

"Sir what shall we do!?" Dagur heard one of his men shout at him from a distance. Dagur only stood there paralyzed with fear. Even as one of his men ran up to him and repeated his question Dagur only stood there numb to all surrounding.

Suddenly a flapping sound caused him to look up and he felt his stomach sink to his feet. A black beast was looking straight at him with a snarl and on its back a Viking clad in leather armor seemed to be looking into his very soul with his green eyes. Dagur suddenly felt more afraid of the beast and its rider than he had ever been in his life. Dagur shrieked in terror before shoving his man aside and sprinting full speed towards the forest surrounding the camp. Utterly abandoning his men.

Hiccup saw Dagur flee towards the woods before shouting down at Astrid who sat atop Stormfly as the dragon batted away Berserkers with it head and tail. "Astrid! Dagur is making a run for it. I'm going after him!"

The blonde looked up at him before shouting "Go! We got this. Get Dagur" and then turning her attention back to oncoming Berserkers and giving Stormfly commands to attack.

"Alright bud let's get him," Hiccup said to Toothless who nodded and swooped towards the woods and after Dagur.

* * *

Dagur pelted through the woods as fast as he could go. Not focusing on direction and just running as if death itself was on his heels. Suddenly a shadow passed overhead and he knew that Hiccup and his dragon we closing in on him.

"Give up Dagur! Its over!" Shouted a familiar voice from the sky.

Dagur knew he couldn't outrun Hiccup and his dragon. Not while the damned thing could fly. But how could he stop it from flying? Then an idea struck him and he looked towards the mountain. The mountain had a cave system that he had discovered upon surveying the island. One of its entrances was way too small for the Night Fury to pass through. So with his plan set in mind Dagur began running towards the mountain at full speed.

Hiccup followed Dagur from the sky as he waited for Dagur to eventually tire himself out from all the running he was doing. Normally he could just swoop down and have Toothless grab Dagur and carry him off but the trees were just thick enough for Toothless to not be able to maneuver through. Finally Dagur broke through the forest line and began ascending the rocky slope that led to the base of the mountain. With this much open space Toothless could now grab Dagur so he gave Toothless the command and began descending.

Feet by feet Dagur was getting close to the opening of the mountain that would be his safety. But he could also hear the Night Fury's wings as it was gaining on him. _This is gonna be close_. Were Dagur's thoughts.

Then 20 feet. Then 10 feet. He could practically feel the Night Fury flapping in his ear. Then five feet. He could see its shadow on the wall in front of him. Three feet and then he leapt through the entrance that was just big enough for him to get through.

"WOAH!" Hiccup shouted in surprise as he pulled Toothless up and away from the mountain they were about to ram into.

Circling back around he directed Toothless to land a few feet of the small hole that Dagur had leapt through moments before. He examined the hole carefully. It wasn't very big. It a surprise Dagur had been able to get though. It was also pitch black inside. He couldn't make out anything.

"OHHHH BROTHER! How about you come in and play," came Dagur's voice from the hole.

He knew Dagur was trying to bait him. But he wouldn't fall for it.

"Unless that is, you're a COWARD!" he heard Dagur spit from somewhere inside.

That got Hiccup a little. It made his blood boil. _I'm not the one who just abandoned his men and ran into the forest like a little girl_. Hiccup thought.

"You're nothing without your dragon Hiccup…NOTHING." Came Dagur's jab from inside the hole.

Hiccup clenched his fist at his sides and stared into the blackness of the hole with fury. He had to admit that barbs like that always got to him. Partly because somewhere deep inside he felt that it was true. After all, where would he be without Toothless?

"If you're a REAL Viking Hiccup come and fight me. Man to man...If you can even can even call yourself a man that is," came Dagur's taunt followed by his trademark laugh. "So Hiccup? Are you Viking enough?"

Hiccup reached into Toothless's saddlebag and pulled out a torch. He held it out toward Toothless for him to ignite which Toothless obliged.

"Let's find out," Hiccup said to himself quietly.

Just as he was about to squeeze through the hole after Dagur a sudden tug on his arm yanked him back. He looked over to see Toothless holding his harm gently between his teeth.

"Come on bud I gotta do this."

Toothless released his hold on Hiccup's are before growling in response. Obviously not liking the idea of Hiccup going in by himself.

"I know bud but we can't let him get away. Look I'll go in after him here and you find a bigger opening and try to find him and then we'll corner him. Sound good?"

Toothless growled a little more in annoyance, then grumbled to himself before nodding. Hiccup raised his left arm and extended his palm out toward Toothless snout in a gesture a trust. Toothless met his palm halfway with closed eyes and purred into the hand. Toothless opened his eyes and gazed into the eyes of his friend. "Good hunting bud," Hiccup said before turning back to the hole. Taking a deep breath he squeezed himself through and made his way after Dagur.

Toothless watched his friend disappear though the hole and stared at it concern. He hoped his friend would be ok. Then getting back to the task at hand Toothless began to circle the base of the mountain on all fours to find a bigger opening for himself.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 3: The Battle**

After entering the though the small hole Hiccup found himself inside a large cavern. Squinting his eyes in the darkness he tried his hardest to locate Dagur. Stepping back near the entrance and placing his free hand on the wall he began to walk around the perimeter of the cavern. He slowly felt his way along the wall while keeping his eyes on the darkness that encompassed most of the room. After feeling his way along what must have been 50 feet of wall he suddenly found an opening to a tunnel running deeper into the mountain. Taking a look behind him one last time he looked to the little light coming from the hole he had entered. Turning his gaze forward he pressed on with his free hand on the wall to keep him steady.

The tunnel Hiccup was walking though was very narrow. His dad would definitely never be able to make his way through it. Dagur probably had to make his way through by shuffling sideways. Hiccup wasn't as broad though so he had a pretty simple time going through the tunnel. The tunnel luckily didn't split so all he had to do was keep walking. Then slowly he stared to notice that the tunnel started to shift upward. He also noticed at the top of the slope there was a faint source of light. Advancing slowly and listening intently for any signs of Dagur he continued to make his way up the slope toward the light. Finally reaching the top of the slope he was shocked to find himself in a gigantic cavern. The whole thing was covered in blue light that allowed him to see everything. He looked to see the source of light and noticed there were giant blue crystals all over the caver that seemed to glowing and emanating the blue light. Scanning the room once more he suddenly became aware of a human shape standing at least 50 feet away.

Focusing he saw that it was Dagur. He had his back to him and seemed to be standing on what appeared to be the edge of cliff who knows high. Dagur seemed relaxed as he just stood there. His arms were crossed behind his back and he appeared to just be staring out into the distance in front of him like how a man watches the sunset.

Throwing the now unnecessary torch to the side Hiccup began to advance. Never taking his eyes off Dagur he walked forward and stopped at what must have been 20 feet from Dagur. Dagur didn't acknowledge him. Either he was unaware that Hiccup was there (which was unlikely given Hiccup's creaking metal foot) or he was simply ignoring him.

Clearing his throat to grab his attention Dagur turned his head slightly in Hiccup's direction. "It's over Dagur. There's nowhere to run and you can't hide from me," Hiccup paused waiting for Dagur to respond. When he received no response he continued. "Just give up Dagur. End this pointless war and let our tribes be at peace."

Dagur continued to remain silent before turning his head back into the direction of the cliff. Then slowly Dagur's shoulders began to shake before he let out his trademark laugh. After calming himself he slowly turned to Hiccup and with a sneer said, "Peace Hiccup? Really? This all started because of you. If you—"

Hiccup interrupted him with a shout, "If I? Dagur YOU'RE the one who declared war. And for what? Just to get my dragon?" He screamed and pointed at Dagur indignantly.

"If you had just handed over your dragon none of this would have happened! I would have left Berk alone…You don't deserve a kind of power like that you pathetic excuse of a Viking." Dagur spat vehemently.

Hiccup glared at Dagur though his helmet. He took a breath to try control the swell of anger that was rising up within him. "Toothless isn't a weapon Dagur. He's my friend. My companion. I couldn't just hand him over like an old battle-axe," Hiccup replied calmly.

"You mean you wouldn't Dagur," Dagur spat.

"Well that too of course. I wouldn't hand my worst enemy over to someone like you," Hiccup replied sarcastically. "Besides we both know you would have still come after Berk. You're Deranged Dagur, it's in your name ya know."

"So what now then Hiccup? Are you gonna capture me yourself?" Dagur asked with a smirk.

"Whatever it takes. Even if I have to knock you out and drag you back to Berk."

"Oh really? I didn't take you for the type for violence Hiccup. Didn't even know you knew how to fight," Dagur said in amusement raising an eyebrow.

Hiccup rolled his shoulders and removed his Gronckle iron shield from his back and placing it on his right arm. Then with his left hand he reach and drew his sword strapped to his right side. "Well when you work with fire breathing dragons and date Astrid Hofferson, both which can kill you, you tend to learn a couple of things," Hiccup said matter of factly. Over the years Hiccup had developed a unique style of fighting from working with dragons. He smiled lightly underneath his helmet at the memories of the hours he spent training over the years with Astrid to improve his combat skills and refine his unique style.

"Oh? Well let's see what you've learned then little Hiccup," Dagur said with an evil smile as he reached behind his back and grabbed his battle-axe with his right hand and his sword with his left hand.

Hiccup prepared himself. He crouched slightly and took a deep breath before he raised his shield in front him. Then he brought his sword up and rested it lightly on the shield.

Dagur lowered himself and secured his grip on his weapons. This was his chance. He could finally kill Hiccup. The Night Fury couldn't save him. Even if he was captured he could live with the satisfaction of having finally destroyed the thing he hated most.

Hiccup and Dagur both glared at each other as they waited for the other to make the first move. Hiccup was patient and he wanted Dagur to strike first. Dagur having no patience at all obliged him. With a war cry Dagur charged Hiccup with his weapons at the ready and quickly closed the distance between them ready to cut him down.

When he was within striking distance he brought his battle axe down upon Hiccup's head. Reacting quickly Hiccup raised his sword and blocked the axe. Seeing his attacked stopped Dagur swung his sword toward Hiccup. Hiccup predicted this action and moved his shield to stop the blade. The blade struck the shield with a loud metallic clang that shook his arm but Hiccup stood firm. Their weapons raised Dagur and Hiccup glared at each other. Dagur attempted to use his superior strength to push his weapons down and bring Hiccup to his knees. Hiccup knowing he would lose in a battle of pure strength brought his knee into Dagur's stomach.

Having the wind knocked out of him Dagur stumbled back a few steps to catch his breath. Hiccup capitalized on the opportunity and advanced on Dagur and with a counter clockwise spin to build up momentum bashed his shield on against the side of Dagur's face. The move cause Dagur to stumble and nearly fall over. His vision blurred and he tasted blood in his mouth. She shook his head in an attempt to clear his vision and refocused on Hiccup who awaited his next attack. Anger coursed through Dagur and he charged wildly at Hiccup swinging his weapons in a mad attempt to kill him. Hiccup dodged and evaded every strike by side stepping and spinning out of the way and trying to get behind Dagur. Hiccup's unique style of fighting was based on the principles of doge and evade. It was a more defensive style in which he would tire out his opponents first and stay in their blind spot before delivering the finishing blow. This style was suited to Hiccup since Hiccup wasn't as strong as most Viking but possessed a great amount of stamina and endurance.

Sidestepping a lunge from Dagur, Hiccup struck out with his sword and slashed Dagur across his face. Recoiling back Dagur stared wide eyed at Hiccup before slowly bringing his hand up to his face. Using two fingers Dagur wiped at the blood leaking from the small cut and examined it. Dagur couldn't believe it. He was fighting Hiccup and losing. Dagur figured that the knee to the stomach was a lucky shot. So was the shield backhand to the face, just another lucky shot. But no, Hiccup was beating him. Dagur grit his teeth together in anger and glared coldly at Hiccup.

Hiccup smirked at Dagur's shocked look at the cut he made on his face. Dagur's anger was getting the better of him. This was Hiccup's plan. The angrier Dagur became the sloppier he would get. Hiccup just had to keep irking him. Deciding to poke the beast Hiccup said as cheekily as he could, "Hey Dagur looks like you got a little something on your face there."

With an angry yell Dagur charged Hiccup and swung his axe down in a vertical arc with the intent to cleave Hiccup in two like wooden log. Hiccup crouched low and stepped left while cocking back his shield arm. The axe came down on the empty space where Hiccup was a moment before and wedged itself into a crack in the cave floor. Before Dagur could pull it out Hiccup swung his shield arm up and right into the underside of Dagur's chin with all his strength. The force of his uppercut lifted Dagur off the ground and sent him flying back a few feet away. Sprawled on his back Dagur's head was ringing and his vision had blurred so much he couldn't make out anything. Bringing his hands to his head he was surprised to find that he had lost his sword and his helmet had been knocked clear off his head. Finally clearing his head and his vision he looked to find the looming figure of Hiccup looming over him with his sword just a few inches from his face. Hiccup's glare was cold with his eyes narrowed and his body tense and ready to strike.

"It's over Dagur. You've lost." Hiccup said with finality.

Dagur recoiled and backpedaled from Hiccup's sword trying to find a way out this current position. "Hiccup wait! You're right you won…I'll surrender just no more," Dagur said as helplessly as he could.

Just as he expected Hiccup lowered his sword slightly and relaxed. Dagur then swept his legs out and knocked Hiccup off his feet. Taking advantage of Hiccup's surprise Dagur leapt up and threw himself on Hiccup. Hiccup manage to raise his shield over his body but Dagur was strong enough to grab his arms and pin them both under his knees. Then he tore Hiccup helmet off his head and tossed it to his right. Laughing maniacally he brought both his hands down on Hiccup's neck and started to clamp down. Intent on chocking the life out of Hiccup.

Hiccup mentally chastised himself for lowering his guard. This would have been so much easier if he could just kill Dagur but they needed him alive. Hiccup was helpless as Dagur began to choke him to death. He stared into Dagur face contorted into a sadistic smile of evil pleasure. Hiccup tried to formulate a plan but he need to at least free one of his arms. Slowly Hiccup began losing strength as his legs flailed about helplessly and then his vision began to tunnel. Then his chance came when a familiar roar could be heard echoing throughout the cavern. Toothless was closing in. He had found his way in and with his ability to navigate through caves with sound had located his rider.

Upon hearing the roar Dagur looked away from Hiccup in attempt to locate the origin of the noise. He loosened his grip on Hiccup's neck and forgot all about the fact that he was pinning Hiccup's weapons under his knees. Seeing his chance Hiccup wrenched his sword arm from under Dagur's knee and ignited it. The flame sword ablaze he pressed the flat of the blade on the side Dagur's face. Crying out in a blood curdling scream Dagur recoiled from Hiccup while clutching his face.

Hiccup gasped for air at his now free windpipe and brought his free hand up to rub his neck. _Probably gonna leave a nasty bruise_. He had no time to dwell on his neck however as Dagur was now up with his sword in hand. While stumbling back Dagur's foot had bumped into the hilt of his sword. Picking it up he prepared to finally end this battle.

Hiccup looked at Dagur who now had nasty burn mark running from his right ear down to his right cheek. Then Dagur raised his sword above his head and grasped the hilt with both hands. Seeing Dagur preparing to deliver the death blow Hiccup dropped his flaming sword and brought his shield to his chest. He quickly activated a switch on the underside of the shield and fired a bola at Dagur.

In surprise, Dagur took a step back when the bola fired at him. Finding himself ensnared by the bola Dagur continued to stumble back. What he failed to realize was that during the battle both boys had moved dangerously close to the edge of the cliff Dagur had been standing on when Hiccup had found him. With his arms entangled and unable to balance himself Dagur went over the edge and cried out in terror.

Hiccup could only watch in shock as Dagur lost his balance and teetered over the edge. Finally getting his body to respond he leapt onto his feet and ran to Dagur and reached out to grab him. "DAGUR NO!" Hiccup cried as his hand closed down on empty air. In horror he watched Dagur fall with a sheer look of terror on his face. When Dagur was only a few feet from the ground Hiccup closed his eyes and faced his head in another direction. Then he heard a sickening crunch moments later. Opening his eyes and gazing down at the ground below he saw Dagur's lifeless body.

Hiccup swallowed the bile as the realization of what had happened set in. He ran his hands though his hair and then grabbed it in fistfuls. "No," Hiccup whispered quietly. "This wasn't supposed to happen. We needed him alive." Hiccup tried to suppress his panic as he felt himself start to hyperventilate. "What have I done?"

On his hands and knees Hiccups panicked breathing continued. He tried in vain to calm himself down. He knew that it was an accident. He knew that Dagur would have killed him if he hadn't reacted. He knew all of this and yet none of it set his mind at ease. He had killed someone. He had killed the one person who was supposed to end the war without any more bloodshed. The realization of his failure washed over him and seemed to press down on his body.

Finally he was shaken from his panic by a concerned croon and nudge from his left. Looking over he saw Toothless looking at him concerned black orbs. Toothless nudged his face with his snout and crooned in concern once more. Hiccup threw his arms around his friend as he tried to regain control of his thoughts.

"I killed him bud…I failed," Hiccup whispered into the dragon's neck.

The dragon lowered himself as Hiccup continued to cling to him. He tried his best to comfort his friend and just waited. He didn't know the full extent of Hiccup's pain but he knew he would help him overcome it. And they would face it together.

* * *

Stoick surveyed the damage to the Berserker camp. Tents were burned beyond repair. Scorch mark covered the ground. The ships were all but unsailable and ablaze. He took a look at the Berserkers who had survived and were being held captive. They were on their knees with hand behind their heads while they were surrounded by several riders on their dragons. There were twenty of them. He heard that at least 10 had died during the attack. The survivors seemed mostly fine. There were slight burn marks and some bruises on their faces and arms but no major damage could be seen.

Checking on the riders and dragons he was relieved to see that they were all fine. None of them were injured and neither were their dragons. After taking a closer look he realized that one rider wasn't present. His son Hiccup. He then realized that Dagur was also not among the captured. Panic arose within him as he looked around before he spotted Astrid and hurried over to her.

"Astrid!" He said loudly to get her attention. She turned to him with a worried expression on her face. When he reached her he continued, "Where are Hiccup and Dagur? I don't see them."

"I don't know sir. Dagur made a run for it and Hiccup went after him. We've been circling the island in turns trying to find him but we keep coming up with nothing."

"Well find them. There's no way he could've escaped. They have to be here," Stoick said more sharply than he meant too.

Astrid nodded in understanding before running to Stomfly and mounting. Just as she was about to command Stormfly to fly Fishlegs yelled, "Look there; it's Hiccup," he said excitedly as he pointed to an approaching black figure in the sky. The sun was just starting to rise allowing them to see the Night Fury speeding toward them at a moderate speed.

Relief washed though both Stoick and Astrid as Toothless and Hiccup circled the camp twice before landing. He hurried over to his son and was shocked to find a dark bruise around Hiccup's neck. Additionally he noticed Hiccup's grim expression and picked up his pace slightly.

Finally reaching his son, Hiccup looked towards him and dismounted Toothless. "Son what happened?" Stoick said gesturing towards Hiccup neck. "And where's Dagur?"

Hiccup looked into his father's eyes before turning his gaze to the ground. Then he motioned toward a tarp that was lying across Toothless's back. After close inspection Stoick realized that the tarp was wrapped around a human shaped object. Stoick put the pieces together and turned back to his son for an explanation.

Keeping his gaze to the ground Hiccup took a shaky breath before speaking, "I followed Dagur into a cave alone. We fought and was about to kill me. I just reacted and got him with my bola from my shield and he went over the edge of a large drop."

Stoick could hear the regret in Hiccup's voice. Taking a life was never easy. He knew Hiccup was blaming himself for this. Placing and hand on Hiccup's shoulder he spoke to his son, "It's ok son. These things happen. It was you or him." He was trying his best to reassure his son and pulled him forward into a hug.

Hiccup's shoulders shook in his father's embrace. He felt Toothless nudge his hand sympathetically. He swallowed the lump in this throat and spoke in a shaky voice, "Dad…I failed."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 4: The Sacrifice**

The trip back to Berk went by in a haze. Hiccup was on his father's ship as Stoick believed that given Hiccup's state of mind shouldn't be riding. He just sat at the prow of the ship with Toothless curled around protectively. Stoick just watched helplessly. He didn't know what he could do. Hiccup was taking the failure of the mission hard. Stoick didn't blame him. Dagur was insane and honestly he was glad the man was dead. If Dagur had survived it would've been at the cost of his son. He had instructed five of the riders led by Fishlegs to take Dagur's body back to Berserker Island so the tribe could bury their leader and perform his funeral rights. Additionally he wrote a note calling for a temporary ceasefire so that the events of what occurred could be discussed.

After finally reaching Berk Stoick instructed his son to go home and rest. His son nodded his head mechanically and slowly trudged his way up the path to their house. Stoick watched his son walk into their home before getting on with his chief duties and getting the village prepared for what might come.

Inside his home Hiccup slowly made his way up to his room before throwing himself down on the bed. Thoughts of his failure haunted him. He had failed and now the safety of Berk was in jeopardy. If only he hadn't gone in by himself. If only he hadn't lowered his guard. Toothless gave a concerned croon from the side of his bed and nudged his face with his snout. Hiccup turned his gaze to his dragon and couldn't help but smile at his best friend. He raised his hand and placed it on the dragon's snout. He felt Toothless rumble against his hand felt himself relax.

"Thanks bud I'm alright. Just tired," Hiccup said to the dragon.

Toothless held his gaze for a few moments before yawning and going over to his stone bed. Scorching the surface of the slab he settled down and relaxed while keeping his eyes on Hiccup.

Hiccup then heard his front door open followed by someone coming up the stairs. He assumed his dad was coming up to try and comfort him. He appreciated his concern but wasn't in the mood for company. He listened to the footsteps as they got nearer and nearer to his room. Then the door opened and the figure was in his room.

"Hiccup?" Came the concerned voice of his girlfriend.

Hiccup turned his face toward the entrance of the room to see Astrid standing there. She looked worried and she fidgeted with her hands, unsure of what to do or say. After a few moments of silence Astrid spoke up. "I came to see if you were alright. And if you needed anything?"

Hiccup turned his head away and stared at the wall in front of him. "No Astrid. I just want to be alone," he said quietly.

Astrid watched Hiccup lay there miserably. She looked over at Toothless who laid on his stone bed gazing at Hiccup and mimicking her worried look. Coming to a decision Astrid came into the room. "Ok Hiccup I hear you," Astrid said walking over to Hiccups drawing table. Slowly she removed her spiked skirt and laid it on the table. Next went her metal shoulder pads and fur cape. Then walking around the bed she stood in front of Hiccup who just continued to stare into space not acknowledging her. Then Astrid lowered herself onto the bed and pressed herself close to him while wrapping her arms and around his chest and snuggling onto his chest armor.

"This isn't alone Astrid," Hiccup said in slight annoyance.

"I said I heard you. I didn't say I was gonna go," she responded sarcastically.

Hiccup sighed in acceptance knowing there was not point arguing with her. Her presence was comforting anyway and he felt himself relax even more as he listened to her steady breathing and took in her scent. She smelled like flowers, soot, iron, and dragons. A smell he had come to love over the years.

"It wasn't your fault you know," Astrid said breaking the silence. "It was a battle Hiccup. It was you or him. These things happen."

"I know," Hiccup responded before wrapping his arms around her and bringing his chin and resting it on the top of her head.

Astrid smiled against his chest before shifting herself up slightly and kissing Hiccup on the corner of his mouth.

Hiccup smiled and felt himself fall asleep. The plaguing thoughts momentarily forgotten and focusing on the moment with women he loved.

* * *

After a few hours of sleep Hiccup woke up in his bed with Astrid still wrapped around him. He smile at the peaceful face Astrid had when she slept. Feeling restless he got out of bed without disturbing the sleeping shield maiden and looked out the window. It was midday and the sun was shining as the villagers went about their daily lives. The sight of his village at peace brightened Hiccup's mood. For now at least his people were safe and happy and he would enjoy it.

Resting his hand on Toothless's head the dragon opened its eyes and warbled in greeting. "Come on bud lets go. Quietly though," he said shifting his eyes toward Astrid sleeping on his bed.

Slowly he made his way out of his with Toothless following right behind him. Making his way out the front door he took a deep breath taking in the fresh air of his home. Then raising his arms above his head he stretched out his muscles before making his way toward the forge.

Approaching the forge he heard the sound on metal hitting metal and knew his mentor must be at work. Entering the forge he saw Gobber hammering on a sword glowing molten red. Gobber noticing Hiccups presence and acknowledged him with a nod before jovially saying, "Well gu'ud mornin' there champ. How ya feeling?"

Hiccup smiled and chuckled lightly. Gobber had always been one of his good friends and he could always brighten Hiccup's day. "Better. I'm assuming you've heard what happened?"

"Oh you bet ah' did. You went toe to toe with that lunatic Dagur and won. Didn't know you had that in ya lad," Gobber said with a proud smile.

"Well thanks for that Gobber, your faith in me is appreciated. And I was supposed to capture him not kill him," Hiccup said good naturedly. "So anyway, anything I can do to help?"

Gobber pointed with his hammer prosthetic toward a pile of weapons on a table. "Those could use a good sharpening."

Hiccup nodded and put on a black smith apron before grabbing one of the swords from the pile and taking it towards the sharpening wheel. He got the wheel spinning and began to sharpen the blade. "Where's my dad?" Hiccup asked keeping his eyes on the sword.

"He went to go speak with the elders. Let em' know what happened," Gobber responded.

Hiccup nodded in understanding and continued to sharpen. After sharpening the sword to a satisfactory degree he placed in on a weapons rack and went to grab a dull battle axe. Returning to the wheel he sharpened in silence.

"It's not yer fault ya know. In a war you can't always avoid casualties," Gobber said not looking up from the glowing red sword.

"So everyone keeps telling me," Hiccup said continuing his sharpening.

"That's cuz it's true," was Gobber's sage like response.

"Hiccup!" Came a shout from a distance.

Hiccup quickly removed his apron and ran outside the forge. Looking up he saw yellow and purple Nightmare descend from the sky and land a few feet away in front of him. "Gustav! What's wrong?" Hiccup said to the frantic rider on the back of the dragon.

The rider took a breath before looking into Hiccup and answering, "I was coming back from patrol when I saw three Berserker ships approaching Berk. I warned them that they should turn back or be attacked but they said they just wanted to talk…to you. Alone"

Hiccup eyes widened in surprise. "To me? Did they say why?" Hiccup asked.

"No just said they wanted to talk," Gustav answered.

Mounting Toothless he turned to Gustav and said, "Alright let's get to the academy first."

Gustav nodded in agreement before both dragons leapt into the air and headed to the academy. Then movement to his left caught his attention and he gazed into the eyes of an annoyed Astrid.

He smiled and said, "Oh hey there sleeping beauty."

"You could've woken me up you know," she huffed in irritation.

"But you looked so peaceful and pretty," responded as innocently as he could.

Astrid just rolled her eyes and turned her gaze back to the direction of the academy.

* * *

"NO!"

"But"

"NO!"

"But"

"NO HICCUP! You're not going to speak to the Berserkers alone," Astrid replied hotly with her hand on her hips.

After arriving at the academy with all the rider's present Hiccup informed them of what they had told Gustav. Hiccup then told them that he thought he should go and speak to them alone.

"Look maybe I can speak to them, convince them that killing Dagur was an accident, and I don't know the current leader can call off the war," Hiccup defended.

"Or maybe it's a trap to capture you or kill you," Astrid replied.

"I gotta agree with Astrid Hiccup. Going alone seems like a bad idea," Fishlegs interjected.

Astrid looked at Hiccup and nodded in agreement before turning back to Hiccup and smiling triumphantly.

After glaring at Fishlegs Hiccup looked back to Astrid before pressing on, "Look it's my fault we're in this mess. I failed the mission. But they said they wanted to talk. If their intentions were hostile they could have brought more ships." He took a moment to let Astrid and the others process the information before continuing, "And besides, I wouldn't be alone I'll have Toothless with me."

Astrid narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm not going to let you go alone Hiccup and you can't stop me from coming."

"Or me," Snotlout said stepping forward to stand beside Astrid.

"Or us," said the twins joining them.

"Or me," said Fishlegs joining them.

"OR US!" Came the cry from the rest of the Academy members.

Hiccup sighed. Normally this show of concern would be touching. But right now their stubbornness was irritating. He saw their concern but he felt he had to do this. He was the one responsible for this after all. Making up his mind he mounted Toothless while the other did the same. They were gonna probably hate him from what he was about to do and he didn't want to think of what Astrid was gonna do to him after his talk with the Berserkers but he was gonna go through with it.

"Sorry guys I hoped I would never have to do this but you're not giving me much of a choice here," Hiccup sighed.

The others' eyebrows raised in confusion. Taking a deep breath he brought his fingers to his lips and whistled as loud as he could to get all the dragons attention. Then he made a few hand gestures before point firmly down to the ground. Then patting Toothless on the head the dragon roared as loud as it could to the other dragons.

A moment passed as the dragons registered what had occurred. Then one by one they lowered themselves to the grounds and folded their wings tightly against their sides. Even with orders from their riders they refused to move. The other couldn't believe what Hiccup had just done. They looked to him for an explanation.

"Sorry again guys. But I've helped train all your dragons. Over the years I've trained them to obey this command. They won't move for at least an hour or until I give them go ahead. This should give me just enough time to speak with the Berserkers alone," Hiccup explained.

He looked to Astrid who was furious and quickly added, "I'm sorry and I love you. Please don't hate me." Before Astrid could advance on him Toothless darted from the arena and then with his tail struck the lever that closed the gate to the arena trapping nearly all the riders inside. "Let's go bud," he said patting Toothless on the head. Toothless shot into the air and headed towards the dock where he could see the Berserker ships in the distance.

He really hoped he was right about their intentions to just talk.

* * *

Flying to the center ship he hovered a few feet above it. The Berserkers all watched with hands on weapons. Scanning the ships he looked for someone who could be identified as the leader. Seeing none he decided to ask.

"I've just come to talk. Who's the leader here?" Hiccup shouted.

Waiting a few moments a large Viking stepped forward with his hand up.

"Easy men. Weapons down. We're just here to talk," he said to the men.

"Are you the leader?" Hiccup asked.

"Yes come on down so we can talk in my cabin. Nothing will happen to you or your dragon," the Viking said.

Hiccup directed Toothless to land on the cabin of the leader's ship. Dismounting, he told Toothless to stay put before jumping down to the deck. Then the leader of the company stepped forward with his hand outstretched.

"Greetings Hiccup. I am Beheader the Bloody. Thank you for meeting with us," the man spoke politely.

Hiccup took the hand and gave it a shake. "It's no problem. The cabin right?"

"Yes right this way," the man said gesturing to the door of the cabin.

Hiccup nodded before entering the cabin. The small cabin had a table in the center of the room with maps on the walls and a few barrels and sacks of food about the cabin. Hiccup went to the table and took a seat on the left side. Beheader took a seat on the right side. Taking off his helmet on placing it down on the table before looking at Hiccup. Beheader was a large man. Taller and broader than Hiccup he looked to be in his thirties. He had brown wild beard and long hear tied back in a ponytail. He wore a black fur vest with the Berserkers insignia sewn into the right side. Underneath the vest he wore a green tunic. On his arms he had spiked leather cuffs. He took a breath before starting the talks.

"Once again my name is Beheader and I am currently the acting chief of the Berserker tribe. I've come to discuss what is going to happen now with the death of our chief."

"Yeah about Dagur," he took a breath through the nose before continuing. "Look, that was an accident I swear. We were fighting and he just fell over the edge of this large drop. It was not my intention to kill him," Hiccup explained.

Beheader just smiled before waving his hand nonchalantly, "Oh I don't give a Gronckle's fart about Dagur. That man was crazy. Almost killed me at least 30 times. I'm glad he's dead."

Hiccup's jaw fell open agape. He thought the man would be furious. "Oh. Well that's a relief. So I mean are we good then? You know war over and peace?" Hiccup asked hopefully.

The man's face became serious and he sighed, "Unfortunately not Hiccup. You see while I'm glad he's dead. We can't just let the tribe who killed our leader go without taking aggressive action," he looked straight into Hiccup's eyes before continuing. "We are the Berserkers after all. What kind of message would that send if we didn't retaliate? So no Hiccup the war will continue. And unlike Dagur who wanted to capture your Night Fury first before destroying Berk I will direct the tribe to attack in full force with our armada of 50,000 ships."

Hiccups face paled and his blood ran cold. The war would rage on. Even if they could win with the dragons and the alliance with the Outcasts the casualties Berk would suffer would be great. This was his fault. If he hadn't killed Dagur. What could he do to make it right? His mind went into overdrive as he tried to think of a solution. Suddenly a plan sprung to mind. It just might work and he had nothing to lose.

"But it's my fault Dagur is dead," Hiccup stated quickly.

"Like you said it's nobody's fault. But your tribe is responsible so—"

Before he could continue Hiccup quickly interrupted, "No I killed Dagur. The tribe's plan was to capture him alive. But I killed because of our history. I hated him," Hiccup stated with the straightest face he could manage.

Beheader raised an eyebrow. He searched Hiccup's face for any evidence that he was lying. He couldn't see any but he knew Hiccup's reputation and he wasn't known to be bloodthirsty. But then again retaliating against one man was a lot easier than going to war with a whole tribe. So coming to a decision he spoke, "Ok Hiccup I believe you. The Berserker tribe won't take aggressive action toward your tribe," Hiccup's shoulders sagged in relief. "But we will take aggressive action against you," Beheader finished pointing at Hiccup for emphasis.

Hiccup nodded his head in understanding. "I understand," he stated.

"But just so you know Hiccup if you stay on Berk we will attack it to get to you. You understand what this means don't you?" Beheader asked.

"Yes I do." _Exile_. Hiccup thought. He looked directly back into the eyes of Beheader before asking his question. "How do I know the Berserkers won't attack Berk if I do leave?"

Beheader looked insulted at the question. Scoffing he replied, "Unlike Dagur, I have a sense of honor and respect. You have my word Hiccup." Beheader stood and reached his arm across the table. "Deal?"

Hiccup stood and took his hand in acceptance. "Deal," he replied.

With the negotiations finished Beheader led Hiccup to the door and held it open for him. Stepping onto the deck Toothless leapt down in front of him obviously relieved to see he was ok. He warbled in happiness and bumped Hiccup's chest.

"You better get going lad," Beheader spoke up and pointed towards Berk. Looking towards Berk Hiccup could see five Hooligan ships approaching.

"I guess you're right," he said before he mounted Toothless.

Beheader spoke one last time before he took off. "No action will be taken for a week. We will use that time to mourn the loss of our leader. We will keep a ship on the look out to ensure that you leave. Wouldn't want to violate the terms of our agreement and attack Berk while you aren't on it."

Hiccup nodded and directed Toothless to fly. Flying back towards Berk he circled back to the Hooligan ships and yelled at them to return to shore. They nodded and started to turn the ships around. He was dreading the return to Berk and the confrontation with Astrid. What he dreaded even worse was the pain he was going to put her and his father through when he told them the terms of the agreement. Steeling himself he urged Toothless to speed up. Taking in the sight of Berk and trying to memorize every detail knowing that this may be the last time he would ever see it.

* * *

Astrid slowly paced in front of the forge steaming in anger. She was furious at Hiccup for leaving without her. She was furious that he would be so stupid as to go alone. She also felt betrayed by that secret order he had trained into Stormfly all those years. It was a complete violation of trust. As soon as they had gotten out of the academy she went to find Stoick and informed him of what had happened. Stoick immediately responded by sending out five of their ships to retrieve Hiccup and sink the Berserker ships should they be holding him captive.

Suddenly a gasp from the crowds caused her to look around and see villagers looking towards the sky and pointing. Looking up she spotted Toothless approaching the village. Circling above the village square Toothless spiraled down and landed with a slight bump. Immediately Hiccup was swarmed by villagers asking what happened. They all crowded him so Hiccup couldn't get a word in edge wise. After looking him over and seeing him in pretty much the same condition in which he had left she began to march toward him.

_Uh oh here it comes_. Hiccup thought as he noticed Astrid approaching him with fury written all over her face. Toothless could sense her anger and made a move to stand in front of Hiccup in order to protect him from the shieldmaiden's wrath. Hiccup stopped him however with a scratch to the neck and a few words. "No bud, I deserve this." Hiccup said preparing himself.

The crowd went silent and parted to let Astrid through and when she finally reached Hiccup she looked up at him and glared daggers into his eyes.

He fidgeted and rubbed the back of his neck nervously. He looked into her eyes and with a weak smile said, "Hi."

SLAP! The crowd gasped lightly as the sound of Astrid's hand hitting Hiccup's face seemed to echo throughout the whole village.

Hiccup stumbled to the side from the force of the blow before placing his hand on his stinging cheek and raising his hand towards the advancing shieldmaiden. In an attempt to end his punishment he frantically spoke, "Ok Astrid I know you're mad and you have every right to be but—"

Hiccup didn't get to finish his statement as Astrid used her other hand to slap his other cheek with even greater force than her first one. Stumbling in the other direction he was met with another slap of even greater force on the original cheek. Finally recovering he raised his hand up submissively and backed away slowly from the advancing Astrid. Not letting him escape Astrid reached her arms out and behind Hiccup's head pulling down his upper body and meeting it halfway bringing her knee up to it ram right into his chest. Having the breath knocked out of him he reeled back in an attempt to get some air before Astrid grabbed his right arm before rolling him over her shoulder and flipping him onto his back and slamming him into the ground. Gasping for breath and groaning in pain Hiccup opened his eyes to find Astrid looming over him.

Finally regaining his breath he cautiously asked, "Ok. Are we good?"

Astrid just stood still for a moment before finally stomping on his chest lightly and once again knocking the air out of his lungs. Backing up a few steps she allowed Hiccup to recover. After catching his breath once again he slowly got to his feet and faced her. She took a step towards him and he flinched slightly. She reached out her arms and pulled him into an embrace. Her anger finally subsided she just wanted to hold the person she loved. Hiccup put his arms around her and held her close. She pressed her face into his chest and mumbled a quiet apology before turning her gaze up to his face. Standing on her tip toes she kissed him lightly on the lips. Then she grabbed by the back of the head and pulled him down into a deeper kiss.

Hiccup was surprised at the intense public display of affection Astrid was doing. She rarely did this. But he decided not to question it and returned her kiss with full force. Suddenly a loud cough caught their attention and they broke the kiss. Looking around he saw his father looming over him with his hands on his hips and a very unhappy expression.

"Son are you alright?" Stoick asked in concern while keep the serious expression on his face.

"Yes dad they didn't harm me they just wanted to talk," Hiccup responded.

"Good," Stoick nodded. "Cuz I ought to kill you for doing something so foolish!" Stoick roared. "What in the name of Odin were you thinking son?" He finished.

"They just wanted to talk dad and Beheader the Bloody, the acting leader, and I came to an agreement," Hiccup said as he mentally prepared himself for the next question.

Stoick raised an eyebrow and then asked, "Oh and what exactly did this agreement entail?"

Hiccup sighed then took a deep breath. Running a hand through his hair he continued. "Beheader stated that Dagur's death would be met with war against the whole tribe," he heard the crowd gasp and waited for Stoick to raise his hands to silence them. "But I was able to convince to only hold me responsible for Dagur's death. Thus, Beheader has decided that retaliation will only be taken against me. And as long as I leave Berk the tribe will be left alone," Hiccup finished and waited for everyone to absorb the information.

Suddenly his arm was yanked by Astrid who looked him in the eyes. "Hiccup no. You made yourself a scapegoat," she said horrified.

"Yes Astrid, but the safety of tribes come above all else," Hiccup stated somberly.

From the crowd came a shout, "To hel with the agreement! I say if those damned Berserkers want war I say we give it to them!" The crowd roared in agreement calling for war.

"NO!" Hiccup shouted silencing the crowd. Sweeping over the crowd he continued when he had their attention. "The Berserker tribe is too large and powerful to fight. Even with the alliance we have with the Outcasts and the dragons we would lose too much. Especially if all the fleet attacks at once," he paused and took a breath before driving his point home. "No one person is above the safety of the entire tribe this is the best option."

"But you're not just one person Hiccup," Astrid said at his side.

"She's right Hiccup," his father said grabbing his attention. Turning to look into his father's eyes, his father continued, "You're the pride of Berk, our best dragon trainer and rider, and you're my son and heir."

"But it's my fault that this has happened. I failed the mission, I've brought this upon us, and it's my responsibility to make it right," Hiccup responded resolutely.

Finding reason in his son's logic he tried to change his point. "How do we know that the leader will keep his word? What if you leave and their tribe attacks anyway then what?"

"If they do attack with their entire fleet Toothless and I wouldn't make much of a difference. This is the best way," Hiccup responded.

Stoick had no come back. Hiccup's reasoning was too sound. As the chief he knew this. But as his father he couldn't let his son do this. He couldn't stand by and watch him sacrifice himself for the tribe.

Hiccup stepped toward his father and locked eyes with him. With a determined look on his face he was intent on driving his point home. "You once told me that being the chief meant making the hard decisions. No matter how much you don't like it. Now I ask that you make the hard decision now. Cast your judgment. Banish me."

Stoick looked down at the serious expression his son was making. He was intent on going through with this. He was intent on saving the whole tribe even if it meant banishment. He looked back on all the years he treated Hiccup poorly. Like he was a nuisance. And now the boy had grown into the noblest man he'd ever met. A pang of guilt threatened to overwhelm him. Suddenly he felt moisture collecting in his eyes. Blinking them away he locked eyes with his son and swallowed the lump in his throat.

"I can't son. Not after everything I've done to ya'. I'll be damned if a cast you out again," Stoick muttered quietly.

A small smile formed on Hiccup's face. He was touched that his father couldn't bring himself to banish him. Even when he was demanding it. It showed how much he loved him. "Thanks Dad," Hiccup said sincerely. But he knew what he had to do. Turning to face Astrid and the crowd he cleared his throat and took a breath through the nose. "I Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III hereby secede from the Hooligan tribe. I renounce my claim as the future chief and go into exile, self-imposed, and cut all ties to Berk." He looked into the pained eyes of Astrid and his heart broke. This was tearing her up inside he could tell. She was trying to stay strong but he knew she cared about him as much as he did her. Even if she showed it differently. He tore his eyes away from her and his heart broke again at the pain in his father's eyes. Ducking his head he quietly said, "I'm going to go pack some things. As soon as I'm done I'll be leaving." He quickly stepped around his father and began to walking quickly to his house.

Behind him Toothless loyally followed. Sensing his rider's grief he kept a diligent eye on him as they made their way to their home.

Throwing open the door to his house he quickly walked up the stairs to his room. Finding his satchel he began to make a mental list of everything he would need. He heard footsteps quickly coming up the stairs and Astrid quickly strode into the room. Walking up to him she stopped in front of him before speaking. "You're not really gonna do this are you?" She hysterically shouted.

He walked around her and grabbed his sketchbook off his work table and tucked it into the pocket inside his armor.

"HICCUP!" she shouted angrily.

He turned to face before answering. "I have to do this Astrid. What choice do I have? It's either this or war."

"Then let's go to war," she shouted. "Let's fight, don't let them chase you away. Don't just give up."

"I'm not giving up Astrid. I'm sacrificing myself for the sake of my home," he said trying to control his voice. "For you," he added.

Astrid looked down. As a soldier she also understood sacrifice. A good soldier would give his life if he could defend his home. Hiccup was doing the same thing. Didn't mean she liked it. "Then I'm going with you," she stated.

"No Astrid. After me you're the best trainer and rider. I need you to run the academy as the new head and train future riders," Hiccup responded.

"I don't care Hiccup. I'm not gonna let you go alone," Astrid said defiantly.

Hiccup stopped his packing and walked to Astrid. He took her hands in his and caressed them with his thumbs.

He looked straight into her eyes before continuing. "Please Astrid. I need you here. If you love me, please stay. Please don't fight me," Hiccup pleaded.

"If you love me then stay. Please," Astrid said on the verge of tears.

"I'm doing this because I love you Astrid," Hiccup answered.

After taking a shaky breath she lowered her shoulders in defeat. "Ok. I will," she responded sadly.

"Thank you. Can you wait for me by the docks? I gotta pack."

She nodded slowly and turned and trudged out of the room. Watching her go he turned to Toothless. Sitting on his stone slab he watched the encounter and gave a concerned croon. Extending his right hand towards Toothless the dragon came over to put his snout against his hand. With his eyes closed he purred into the hand. Lowering himself and kneeling down on he came to eye level with Toothless. "Bud. I know you're not gonna like this but I don't want you to come with me."

Toothless's eyes snapped open and he vigorously shook his head and growled. He glared at Hiccup with his teeth bared make his displeasure known.

"Look bud it's bad enough I'm leaving. There's no reason to ruin your life too," Hiccup argued.

Toothless thrashed his tail back and forth in anger and roared lightly in response.

"Come on. Astrid knows how to fly on you. Gobber could make the fin that you can operate on your own. You don't need me to fly bud."

Toothless just shook his head and began puffing smoke from his nostrils. To hell with flying. Hiccup was his best friend. Hell, he was more than that. He was his family. His brother. He would never abandon him. Anything his human was going though they would face it together.

"No Toothless you're not coming. And that's that," Hiccup said crossing his arms.

Toothless just growled some more and bumped Hiccup in the chest with his snout with enough force to knock him off his feet. Landing on his back he was quickly pinned when Toothless lowered his head onto his chest and used his body to pin Hiccup's legs. After struggling to dislodge himself from under his dragon for at least ten minutes Hiccup spread his arms to his side in defeat.

"Alright fine. You can come," Hiccup huffed.

Toothless just snorted as if to say. _Like there was ever any doubt_. Hiccup was actually relieved. There was no one he would rather face exile with than Toothless.

* * *

After Hiccup finished packing he made his way down to the docks. In the saddle bags on Toothless and the satchel Hiccup had over his shoulder he had maps, a spare charcoal stick, spare parts and tools to repair or replace the tail fin or saddle, camping gear, food, water, a bit of gold so he could purchase things from ports and towns, and his mother's breastplate helmet. He couldn't bring himself to leave that. It was too precious. Additionally he brought his shield and sword in case he ran into trouble

Walking down to the docks he saw villagers staring at him with mixed looks of sympathy and respect. He was proud to protect his people and he would go into exile a thousand times over if he had to. Finally reaching the docks he saw Astrid, his father, Gobber, and a handful of other Vikings gathered to see him off. They all had sad looks on their faces as he walked up to them. They all stood in silence not knowing what to say. Just as Hiccup opened his mouth to speak a scream from the direction of the village caught his attention.

"HICCUP! WAIT!" Came the familiar voice of Fishlegs.

Turning towards the village he saw Fishlegs, the twins, and Snotlout running towards him as fast as they could. Reaching him they all gasped to catch their breaths.

"Uh. Hey guys what's up?" Hiccup asked casually.

They all fidgeted before Fishlegs stepped up and held out a sheathed blade.

"I just wanted you to have this. You know to keep you safe," Fishlegs said nervously.

Hiccup reached out and took the blade in both hands. Unsheathing it slightly he examined and recognized the metal as Gronckle Iron.

"Legs this is your Gronckle Iron sword. I can't take this," Hiccup said before sheathing the blade and holding it out for Fishlegs to take.

Fishlegs made no attempt to take the sword back. He stepped back and fiddled with his hands. "I'll feel better knowing you have it," he said with a small smile.

Hiccup returned the smile with his own and nodded. Placing it at his hip he patted Fishlegs on the arm. "Thanks Legs I appreciate it."

The boy nodded and stepped aside for the twins. They had something behind their backs.

Tuffnut stepped forward first and held up a small sack. "I got you some extra food. It's nothing good just some extra rations of dried meat and bread, but you know…figured it might help…a little," the boy muttered looking down.

Hiccup smile and graciously accepted the bag with thanks.

Ruffnut stepped forward slightly shoving her brother and held up another small sack. "I got you some herbs and stuff. They're for making medicine in case you get sick or injured or whatever," she said sadly.

"Thanks Ruff. I honestly didn't think to grab any of that stuff," Hiccup said gladly accepting the bag.

The twins stepped back and Snotlout stepped forward. Rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly he seemed intent on looking everywhere besides Hiccup. Then slowly he reached behind his back and pulled out a sheathed dagger. On the sheath was the crest of the Jorgenson clan. Hiccup reached out and took it. Examining it before Snotlout coughed to get his attention.

"Yeah….That's just my lucky dagger. Figured it be more handy when that puny one you keep on your arm breaks," gesturing the small dagger on Hiccups forearm.

"Thanks Snotlout. I'm sure it's gonna save my ass one day," Hiccup joked.

"Yeah probably," Snotlout muttered quietly.

Hiccup held out his hand for his cousin to shake. Snotlout hesitated for a moment before taking the hand in a firm grip and shaking.

Hiccup turned back toward Astrid, his father, and Gobber. Gobber patted Hiccup on the shoulder and smiled. "Who's gonna help me out at the forge now?"

Hiccup just shook his head with a smile and shrugged his shoulders.

"You did good lad," Gobber added with a proud smile.

Hiccup nodded and turned towards his father. The large man gave his son a sad smile. He opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. Taking a breath he looked Hiccup in the eyes and said with all the conviction he could muster, "You've made me proud son. I just want you to know that. You would have been the greatest chief Berk had ever seen."

"Thanks dad," Hiccup said with a proud smile.

His father nodded before coughing and asking, "So is it just going to be you and Toothless then?"

Hiccup nodded, "Yeah just the two—." Suddenly a shriek from the sky caught everyone's attention.

A small green blur quickly descended and perched on Hiccups shoulder. It was a small Terrible Terror that they all knew well.

"Sharpshot! Hey boy what are you doing here?" Hiccup said giving the Terror a scratch on the chin. The dragon purred in delight before rubbing itself against Hiccup's cheek affectionately. The small dragon was Hiccup's personal messenger Terror and was extremely loyal to him.

"No little buddy you can't come," he moved to take the Terror off his shoulder when his father stopped him.

"Actually Hiccup take him. If you ever need us just send him with a message telling us where you are and we'll be there."

Hiccup thought about it for a moment before nodding in acceptance. With his new travelling companion perched on his shoulder he lastly turned to face Astrid.

He could see the pain in her eyes. To those who didn't know Astrid you'd never tell she was on the verge of tears. Slowly he reached out took one her hands in his. She looked at him before fling her arms around him and pulling him into a tight embrace. Sharpshot hissed in annoyance at the sudden action and flew to land on Toothless's saddle.

Hiccup and Astrid held each other tightly for what seemed like hours. Never wanting to let go ,but knowing he had to, he pulled away. Looking into her beautiful eyes he closed the gap and kissed her for what he knew would probably be the last time. Astrid kissed him back clinging to his riding gear desperately.

Then finally he pulled away and leaned forward to whisper in her ear. "Protect them. Be safe. Live long and have a good life," he said quietly.

She whispered her response in his ear just loud enough for him to hear. "You are my life," she gave him a sad smile as he pulled away.

It took all his will power to turn away from her. Walking to Toothless he reached into the saddle bag and pulled out his riding helmet. Putting it on he mounted Toothless and clicked his prosthetic into the stirrup. Sharpshot jumped onto his shoulder and wrapped his tail around Hiccup's arm to secure himself while digging his claws lightly into his armor.

With one last look Hiccup looked to his friends and said, "Thank you guys. For everything."

Then he signaled Toothless to take off. Opening his wings Toothless leapt into the air and flapped his wings to get them airborne. Then Hiccup continued to let Toothless rise to a comfortable altitude before leveling out and flying away from Berk. Taking one last look he saw his friends, father and villagers waving at him. Turning his body he gave a wave back before looking at his little island one final time. Finally he turned away and leaned forward in the saddle to pick up speed. Looking down at the ocean he saw a lone Berserker ship sitting in the water. Just as Beheader had said there would be. Blinking away tears he gave small sniff.

Toothless crooned in concern turning his head to look at his rider. Sharpshot gave small chirp and nuzzled Hiccup in attempt to comfort him.

"I'm alright guys," Hiccup said to reassure his companions.

Once he felt far enough away from Berk he steered Toothless west. In the time he took packing he had gone over the maps and came up with a plan on what he would do. With the Berserkers after him he couldn't stay in one place too long. So he decided he would travel west and island hop until he reached his final destination. Along the way he would explore and study any island not on the maps he had. Additionally he would document any new dragons he found. But he would keep heading toward his main goal.

The place he was headed was a place no Viking would ever go. For they would be killed for just being a Viking. Yes, he would travel straight into the land of one of Viking kind's mortal enemies. The Highlanders. It was the perfect plan. The Berserker fleet couldn't just storm into Scotland to look for him. Plus it would be the last place they would think to look. After all, what Viking would be idiot enough to hide there? As long as he stayed hidden he would be safe though.

So with his destination set in mind he urged Toothless to go a little faster, and his companion happily obliged. Surfing the skies the three travelers reveled in the freedom that it offered.

Their new life would be tough. It would probably be a little lonely. But as long as they had each other none of them would ever be alone.

* * *

**For those of you wondering and still interested in the story thus far Merida will finally make her appearance in the next chapter. On a side note feel free to review and offer any advice. This is my first fanfic and so far I'm moderately happy with the progress and I hope anyone reading like it as well. **


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 5: The Wisps**

In the land of Scotland there was the kingdom of Dunbroch. Home to the mighty clan of Dunbroch lead by the proud and fierce Bear King Fergus. Ruling at his side was the wise and sharp Queen Elinor. The pair were a formidable force to anything that could possibly threaten the peace within the Kingdom and ruled with a firm but righteous hand. They had four children. There were the cunning, devious, and trouble making triplets Hamish, Hubert, and Harris. Then there was the eldest and future queen, Merida, whose fiery passion matched her wild flaming red hair.

Two years had passed since the regretful incident where Merida turned her mother into a bear. The once selfish girl had blossomed into a mature and responsible young woman. The years had added couple inches to her frame and she had also filled out some and become more womanly. The baby fat had melted from her face making it less round and more defined. Her mass of red hair had become even bushier and grown out to reach down to her hips.

Currently she was walking to the castle looking for mom to ask permission to stroll around the interior of the castle wall before her daily lessons. Coming to the door of the tapestry room she knocked gently three times. Listening to for a reply she heard a quiet, "Come in."

Opening the door gently she entered and shut the door behind her. Finding her mother sitting on a stool in front of a new tapestry project she approached.

Elinor was wearing her usual green dress along with golden emerald crown and her head was down intently going over a letter she was holding in her hand. On her lap there were more letters which Merida noticed had stamps of the allied clans, Dingwall, Macintosh, and MacGuffin.

Coming to her mother side Merida waited for her mother to acknowledge her. When no action came Merida decided to speak, "Mum. Ah was hoping to go into town for a little stroll before my lessons. Only if that's ok with you of course."

"Hm," was Elinor's response. Still intently reading the letter she was holding she wasn't paying much attention to her first born.

"Mum?" Merida asked placing her hand on her mother's shoulder to get her attention.

Finally turning her gaze away from the letter she looked to her daughter. Giving her a warm smile she said, "Oh. Yes that would be fine love. Just be back within an hour."

Merida beamed at her mother and nodded in agreement. Just as she was turning to leave she decided to inquire about the contents of the letter her mother had been so keen on. "Mum. What does the letter say?"

Elinor averted her gaze for half a second before schooling her features and folded the letter and placed it in her lap. "Oh nothing dear. Never you mind."

Merida raised an eyebrow. Obviously her mother was hiding something and didn't want to worry her daughter. But Merida being the intelligent being that she was figured out what it most likely was. "It's about those raiders isn't it?" She asked.

Elinor sighed and nodded her head. "Yes. Another town has been attacked within the kingdom. Burned to the ground. Even worse is that we can't seem to find a trace of them," Elinor said rubbing her temple.

"Are we expecting an attack on us soon?" Merida inquired.

"We aren't sure. Your father and I are working on it," placing a reassuring hand on Merida's should Elinor gave her a small smile. "Don't fret over ma dear."

Merida searched her mother's eyes to see if she was holding back anything else. When she saw none she returned her mother's smile and walked out of the room. It bothered her about these raiders. They just suddenly appeared out of nowhere a few months ago and began attacking small towns. Luckily the casualty count was always minimal but people's livelihood was being put in jeopardy.

"Let em' come to Dunbroch. I'll skewer them with ma' arrows," she muttered to herself confidently.

Exiting the doors to the castle she passed the castle main gates before walking into the lower districts where the villagers lived. Elinor taught Merida it was important to empathize with the people that served you. _In actuality it is us that serves them_. She remembered her mother say. She took the lesson to heart and thus made an attempt to interact with the villagers and ask how the overall state of things were as often as she could. Walking through town the villagers would bow slightly to her in passing and greet her with a warm smile. She would smile back and return their greeting with a cheery "Hello" of her own. Continuing on she noticed a small crowd gathered around what looked to be the local village tailor. Curious she approached the crowd and heard a loud shout that sounded like, "Dragons! They're real ah tell ya'. They come to burn us alive and devour us all!"

Her curiosity spiked she began to push her way through the crowd muttering the occasional pardon. Finally reaching the front she saw on old man. He appeared to be in his late sixties and he wore a plain brown kilt. He was stumbling around the crown in hysterics raving about dragons. When he passed by Merida he stopped quickly stepped towards her grasping her hands in surprise. Merida froze and stared wide eyed as the man continued on with his rambling.

"Oh princess it was awful. I saw a dragon," he paused and took a deep breath before looking straight back to Merida and continuing. "It was this huge black beast with wings this big!" the man shouted while releasing Merida's hand and flinging his arms out to his side for emphasis.

Merida tried to take advantage of the distraction by slinking back into the crowd and disappearing, but as if sensing her intention he grabbed both her hands in his again. "I took my sheep out to the Northern plains to graze and that monster swooped down and flew off with four of ma' sheep. The beast would have grabbed me too if it wasn't fur' this," he said taking his right hand and patting the sheathed sword than hung on the left side of his hip.

"The sword, sir?" Merida questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Aye lass. Me grandfather once slayed a dragon with this here blade. Named it 'Worm Stabber'. That beastie must have smelled the blood of its kin on the blade and fled in terror," the old man said with a proud smirk.

"Uh huh," was all Merida could think to say. She was more focused on figuring how to get away from the crazy old man without having to punch him in the face. Luckily she was saved from the mad old man when a young man stepped out from the crowd and glared at him.

"Uncle, really? Dragons now? Last week it was kelpies, the week before that it was the Faye, what's next? A selkie perhaps?" The man said.

He then walked over and yanked the old man away from Merida before turning to her and apologizing, "Beg pardon princess. My uncle…well he's not all there anymore. Ye ken? I assure you all of our sheep are accounted for. He's not supposed to go out to the fields alone anymore," he gestured to his uncle before bring his finger up to his ear and making a circle.

Merida nodded in understanding. "Aye. It's no problem," she gave a small smile.

The man nodded before giving her a quick bow and turning away. The crowd began to disperse seeing that the man was just daft. Sighing in relief Merida looked down for a moment before raising her head and jumping back a step with a yelp. The man was very suddenly within her personal space with a serious expression on her face.

He leaned in and with a whispered quietly, "Dragons be real princess." He then grabbed her right hand before placing something into her palm and then curling he fingers around it.

"UNCLE!" came the shout of the man's nephew.

The old man quickly turned from the princess before walking away. He shouted in annoyance, "Shut yer' gob lad I heard ye'. Am old ah ain't deaf," before disappearing into the passing villagers.

Shaking off the bewilderment of the eccentric old man Merida slowly opened her palm to see what the man had given her. In her hand appeared to be a black stone. Upon further inspection is had a bluish hue to it. It was round in shaped and covered in slight bumps. Deciding she had enough of the village for the day she slipped the strange stone into her pocket before making her way back to the castle.

* * *

After finishing her princess lessons for the day she went to the stables to water, feed, and brush Angus. He faithful horse cares for she cleaned up his stable and promised him to go on a ride tomorrow. Going back inside the castle her mind kept drifting back the events of the day involving the strange old man. The stone in her dress pocket seemed to have gained weight as she continued to wonder what exactly it was. She had never seen a stone like it before. Making her way to the great she heard her father telling the familiar story of his battle with the Demon Bear, Mor'du.

With turkey leg in hand Fergus animatedly acted out the story as he told it while Merida went to take her seat on the side of the table opposite her brothers. Her mother was busy going over more papers and not interested in the story her husband had told at least a thousand times. The triplets were bored out of the minds at their father's story and the pre-teens just listened on trying their best not to fall asleep.

Merida continued to ponder about the possibility of dragons and decided to ask her father about what he though.

"Ah drew mah sword. AAAANNNNNDDDD!" Fergus said raising his turkey leg to mimic a sword as he reached the climax of the story.

He wouldn't finish it tonight though because this is when Merida decided to interrupt. "Da. Have you ever seen a dragon?" she asked.

Fergus stopped his story and raised his eyes at her in confusion. "No lass. Can't say ah' have. Probably cause they aren't real," Fergus said with a shrug.

"Are you sure?" Merida pressed.

"Oh Merida dragons are just fairytales. Nothing more," her mother said from her end of the table with a scoff.

"Well given what happened two years ago," Merida said while looking at her mother to make her meaning clear. "Can we really be so sure?"

Fergus and Elinor locked eyes at her reasoning. Magic after all was just a fairy tale but that was proven to be real. So why not dragons then. The thought made them both shudder a little at the thought of a fire breathing beast from myth.

Fergus looked to Merida before conceding her point, "Well…ah suppose its possible love. But besides myth and legends ah can't say I've heard of anyone actually seeing one."

Merida just shrugged before turning to her dinner. After dinner Merida made her way to the castle library. Looking through the shelves and glossing over the spines of hundreds of books she found one she was looking for. It was a book of myth and legends that spoke of the various monsters that roamed the land. After turning the pages of the old dusty book she found dragons. The book described them from the viewpoint of different cultures. In some they were creature of evil who hoarded jewels and took young maidens for evil devices. In other they were creatures who protected the land from evil forces like the Faye. Then there was the more common folklore describing them as reptilian in nature, who breathed fire, had wings, and some were water dragons. Finding nothing of particular interest in the book any more she closed it with a thud. Reaching into her pocket she pulled out the stone and looked at it.

Suddenly a thought struck her. Going back over the shelves she pulled out containing a bestiary of real animals. She paged though it till she found the section that consisted of reptiles. Looking through the books she skimmed over the images of the drawn anatomy parts of the animals before stopping at the illustration of a lizard's scale. It was very similar to the stone in her palm. She glanced back and forth between the illustration and the stone before accepting the evidence. _It's not a stone. It's a scale._ After looking through the book once more she could not find any mention of a creature that existed in Scotland that would have a scale like this.

Closing the book she excitedly ran to find her mother. Finding her in the tapestry room she walked over to her and as calmly as she could asked, "Mum. Is it okay if ah' have a day off tomorrow. Ah would really like to go riding with Angus."

Her mother didn't take her eyes off the tapestry and answered, "Sure dear. Just don't out too late."

"Ah won't mom thank you," she said giving her mom a small hug.

Rushing off to her room she decided to sleep early. For tomorrow she would get up at the crack of dawn and go on a little adventure. Tomorrow she was going to find a dragon.

* * *

Crouching low Merida examined the trampled grass for many unusual sighting. Having woken up at dawn she immediately packed two small meals for the day before saddling Angus and riding out to the northern plains. She had scanned the plains for a few hour on foot looking for any more of the black scale. But no matter how hard she searched she couldn't find any. She then started looking for unusual footprints but since the plains were usually visited by shepherds the ground was riddled with too many prints of sheep.

Having been at it for hours Merida stood up and stretched her arms out. Then rolling her neck she popped her back and sighed in defeat. Walking back to Angus who just grazed lightly on the grass she led him to the closest forest line to get some shade. Frustrated she muttered to herself before trying to contemplate her next course of action.

Not thinking of a single way to proceed she threw her hands up in defeat. "This was stupid. What was ah' thinking. Like ah would actually find a dragon. That stone is probably just a stone after all and ah was just daft enough to think it was a dragon scale," said to herself. Hugging her knees to her chest she simply sighed in acceptance and decided to just enjoy the rest of her day. Closing her eyes she began to doze off.

Suddenly a soft whispering sound made her eyes snap open and look around wide eyed. It was a sound she hadn't heard since two years ago. Listening with wide eyes she stood up and began to twirl around trying to find the origin of the noise. Suddenly she stopped when a few inches from her face was a small ball of blue light.

"Ack," she yelped jumping back in surprise. Placing a hand over her heart in an attempt to slow its racing she stared at the small blue flame hovering a few inches from her.

A wisp. A small spirit known for leading people to their fate floated in front of her and continued its whispering.

"Are you trying to kill me!" she cried. "You scared me half to death," she replied with a frown.

The wisp floated on the spot for a moment before beginning to gingerly dance away from and towards the direction of the plains. Following the wisp she stopped within arm reach after it stopped when it reached the forest line. Then it continued to just hover and continue its whispering. Merida slowly reached out her right hand and then it suddenly vanished and reappeared a few feet away from her now out onto the plains.

Merida was not the least bit surprised by the wisp's action. She contemplated following it but hesitated when she remembered what happened the last time she followed the wisps to her supposed 'fate'. Still, Merida had nothing better to do so with an excited smile she ran over to Angus and mounted before jabbing him in the side with her heels and straight towards the wisp.

When Angus and her were within a few feet of the wisp it vanish again and reappeared a few feet away. Merida continued to steer Angus forward toward the wisp keeping her eyes open for the location where it would suddenly reappear.

While chasing the wisp she noticed that it appeared to be heading towards a lone mountain surrounded by trees jutting out from the plains. Approaching the mountain the wisp suddenly stopped at the forest line forcing Merida to yank back on the reins to stop Angus. Angus reared up not pleased with the sudden action and shook his head in annoyance. Merida patted his head before apologizing. Frowning at the wisp she noticed it began to slowly move into the forest surrounding the mountain. Clicking her tongue Angus continued to move forward after the wisp. After following the wisp slowly they came to 10 foot stone face covered in moss with tree roots running down it. The wisps then began to slowly float upward until it was at the top of the wall. It paused for a moment before continuing forward and out of sight.

"Oh know ya don't. You wisps aren't shakin' me that easily," she said.

Dismounting Angus she led him to a nearby tree and tied him loosely to it. Just in case a predator came along Angus could run to safety.

"Stay here Angus. Ah gotta see what the wisps are leading me too," she said while patting Angus on the neck.

Angus bumped her head with his nose and she gave him a quick hug. Reaching onto Angus's saddle she pulled out and equipped a short sword she brought from home. Then she grabbed her bow and quiver of arrow and placed them securely over her shoulders. Then moving to the rock face she began to look for possible handholds. Rolling up her sleeves of her dress he grabbed at the tree roots running down the side of the wall. Slowly but surely she pulled herself up. Finding footholds for her feet and hand while using the tree roots as a security line she made her up the wall. Reaching the top she climbed over, took a breath and dusted some moss off her dress.

Looking down at Angus she gave him a small wave and continued back up the mountain. Seeing no sign of the wisp she just continued to go straight. She found it strange the side of the mountain could be covered in trees and grass. She found it stranger still that she heard no animal noises. Not even birds. It was a little eerie if you asked her. The only sound that could be heard was what sounded like a spring somewhere in the distance. After walking for a few minutes she saw a clearing up ahead. Breaking the tree line she found herself in a meadow of tall grass. It was quite pretty she thought to herself.

Looking to her right and then to her left her eyes fell upon what looked like a tent near the tree line at the left end of the meadow. Advancing cautiously. Upon getting closer her suspicions were confirmed that she had seen a tent. Along with the tent there was what looked to be a fire pit along with a pot and a canteen of water. She also saw a few bags laying around. The campfire looked to have been used recently so she assumed that whoever it belonged to was still around somewhere. She wondered what a person would be doing out here. A hunter maybe? A hermit? She tapped her chin in thought when she suddenly she heard someone coming from the forest.

Whoever it was wasn't being stealthy at all and she could tell the sound was coming from the left of the camp in the forest. Backing up to the trees at her back she hid behind one. Peeking out, she stared intently at the direction of the approaching noise. After a few moments a figure came through. It was a man. Or at least it looked like one. She couldn't be certain with his face being covered by a strange spiked helmet. He was covered in black and red leather armor and was quite tall. Though he was skinny she could also tell he had good muscle tone. She suppressed a gasp at seeing one his legs appeared to be made of metal. The other foot had a leather boot. On his back he had a metal shield and there appeared to be a sword attached to his hilt.

The lad reached his arms up, stretched, and yawned. Then he stepped over the campfire to sit down in front of his tent. Merida just stared at the man and contemplated her next move. He could be dangerous. His outfit made him look like he was prepared for battle at any moment. He didn't look like he was from around here. Should she confront him she wondered?

The man suddenly turned his head back in the direction of the tree line he had emerged from and stood up. Walking over, his back was now towards her, he stopped just at the edge. Stepping out from behind her tree she readied her bow. She quietly approached and pulled an arrow from her quiver. She heard the man muttering to himself and then she notched the arrow. Standing a few feet away she pulled back on the drawstring and decided to make her presence known.

"Don't you move stranger," she said loud enough for him to hear.

The man's whole body tensed and stiffened and he held his arms tightly to his side.

"Turn around. Slowly. No sudden movements ya' hear. Move quick and ya' get an arrow. Understand?" she said as threateningly as she could.

The figured nodded his head. Raising his arms up; he turned around slowly. When he was fully facing towards her she saw that his eyes were green and they widened in shock underneath the helmet when they fell upon her bow and arrow.

Suddenly he flinched and held up arms defensively and twisted part of his body away from her. The action almost caused her to loose her arrow. But she saw that this was a cowering gesture, like when someone who didn't want to be hit with a punch flinched reflexively.

"OH GODS! Please don't shoot," the man said in a shrill nasally voice.

"Ah'm nae gonna shoot ya' as long as ya' answer a few questions. Understand?"

"Sure, sure, there's some gold, in that bag, right over there," he said pointing to a bag on the ground. "It's not much but you're welcome to it. Just please don't kill me," the voice pleaded.

Merida raised an eyebrow at what the man was implying. Did he really think she was robbing him? "Ah'm nae a bandit laddie," she said offended.

"Sure, I get it. Maybe you've just fallen on hard times and you need some money. I'm not judging," the man said still not looking at her.

Merida was starting to get annoyed. "Ah'm nae robbin ya laddie," she replied hotly.

The man relaxed for a moment before suddenly clenching up again. "OH GODS! You're just gonna kill me aren't you? Oh man so this is how it ends," the man went on rambling saying his earthly goodbyes.

"Och. Stop you're cowering ya' ninny. I'm nae a bandit or a murderer. I just want to ask you a few things," Merida replied.

The man seemed to believe her as he slowly started to relax and stood up straight. Seeing the man cowering for his life and acting so afraid of her made Merida lower her bow and relax the drawstring. It's wasn't likely that a man as cowardly as this one could be a threat. The man's shoulders sagged in relief as he brought his hand up to his chest and tried to regain his breathing.

Merida chuckled lightly when a gleam to her right caught her eye. Looking over she saw metallic object she quickly recognized as a helmet. On both sides of the helmet horns jutted out and curled upward. Instantly she recognized the helmet belonging to a people infamous for their raiding. Vikings.

She quickly pulled back on the drawstring and point the arrow right back at the man. The man eyes widened in surprise as he brought his arms up in surrender.

"Don't ya' dare move a muscle. Viking," she said saying the last part icily.

_Oh man_. Were the only word's that came to Hiccup's mind.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 6: The Meeting**

_Oh man_. Were Hiccup's thoughts as the crazy red headed woman who barged into his camp pointed a freaking arrow at him. His perfect plan had now officially hit a snag. Everything up to this point went off without a hitch. He reached Scotland in about four weeks since leaving Berk. He would've reached it in about a week but he stopped to explore islands, observe dragons, and sketch landscapes. Upon reaching Scotland he flew above the cloud cover looking for an ideal place to land. He was mesmerized by the beauty of the landscape. He made rough layout of the landscape in his mind making sure to make mental notes of rivers suitable for fishing. He knew that the big lake that ran to the ocean would be an excellent source of fish but he saw a castle nestled near and thus put it on the mental _should probably avoid _list. Finally on a lone mountain covered in trees sticking out in the middle of seemingly endless see of plains he saw a suitable place to land.

On the side of the mountain and only visible from the sky was a large open meadow. Dismounting he unsaddled Toothless and started to survey his new camp grounds. Walking to the left end of the meadow he placed down his camping gear. Then continuing into the trees with Sharpshot on his shoulder and Toothless following loyally behind he began to explore. After walking a couple hundred feet in he came to a creek running down the side of the mountain. He crossed finding a drinkable water source of his checklist with a smile. Following the creek up the side of the mountain to its source he found large pond. Surrounding it were a large group of flowers. After taking in the beautiful sight he went to the edge of the pond before kneeling down for a drink. The water was good. It tasted clean, cold and ,crisp. Drinking till he was satisfied he allowed his companions to do the same.

Then making their way back down to the meadow he made camp. Then for two weeks Hiccup had pretty much the same schedule. He would wake up and wash himself at the creek. Then he would saddle Toothless, fly to a nearby river to allow Toothless and Sharpshot to get their fill of fish, build and set some simple snare traps, hunt for some rabbits or other small creatures using the slingshot feature on his shield. Then he would fly on Toothless above the clouds for a while before circling back to check on his snares. There was a close call when he made the mistake of landing on one of the plains to take a little nap. After hearing sheep and seeing and knobby kneed old man in the distance he took off as fast as he could hoping he wasn't spotted. But after seeing no search parties from the sky the next day he assumed he was safe.

Today had been like all the other days. He came back to camp after getting some fish for his dragons and himself before throwing his satchel off and unsaddling Toothless before making his way to the pond. Once there and satisfying his thirst he left his companions to have a splash fight between themselves not wanting to get his leather armor wet. After getting back to camp and realizing he was completely alone he contemplated going back to his dragons when aforementioned crazy woman snuck up on him with an arrow pointed at his face. Assuming he was being robbed at first he panicked. When the lady said she wasn't going to rob or kill him he relaxed and hoped that if he answered her questions he could get her to leave before Toothless came back.

But that hope went straight to Hel when she saw his mother's breastplate helmet and immediately identified him as a Viking. As expected she didn't take kindly to discovering his origins. So now he just stood there wide eyed with his hands in the air and unsure of what to do.

"What are you doin' here Viking? Have you come to raid our lands? Where are the rest of the raiders?" Merida asked believing him to be a member of the raiders who had been attacking towns in their kingdom for a few months now.

Hiccup raised an eyebrow in confusion. _Raiders_? He thought to himself. Had is people kept attacking Scotland all these years? Did she believe he was a member of this company? Hiccup swallowed and took breath preparing to tell her that he didn't have anything to do with any attacks. He took a step forward with his hands still up when he immediately froze again as an arrow zoomed right by his face.

When he took a step forward Merida assumed the Viking was preparing to attack so she loosed the arrow in warning.

_Great Odin's ghost, if that had been a couple more inches to the left I would've lost my eye!_ Hiccup mentally screamed. Scared senseless Hiccup did the only thing he could think of. He let out a shriek of terror and quickly bolted into the trees as fast he could before the woman could pull another arrow form her quiver.

Merida quickly took off after the Viking, intent on capturing him and brining him to the castle for questioning or killing him if she had to. Pulling another arrow from her quiver she notched another arrow before aiming and firing it at the retreating Viking. The arrow flew true but bounced off the metal shield strapped to his back. With a silent curse she pulled another arrow from her quiver and continued the chase.

Hiccup felt the arrow collide with and bounce off his shield and thanked the gods it was on his back. "OH THOR! OH THOR! OH THOR!" Hiccup yelled in panic as he just ran for his life. Then another arrow clanged against his shield and he realized if he kept running in a straight line he would make himself easy to target. Making a snap decision he quickly dart left as he heard another arrow fly by. Zigzagging past trees he threw himself behind one to catch his breath. Taking the shield off his back and strapping it on his right arm he peaked out to see if he could locate his attacker.

Merida grit her teeth in frustration after her arrows failed to bring down her target. After the Viking bolted left and zigzagged though trees she lost sight of him. Silently cursing she notched an arrow and walked thought the trees with her senses alert. Moving between the trees she walked slowly being mindful of where she placed her feet. Ducking and peeking behind the tree she was currently at she spotted the Viking at her eight o'clock behind a tree. Pressing herself back against the tree she took breath before quickly turning around stepping out from behind the tree and firing.

Hiding behind his tree and occasionally peeking out to see if he could find his attacker Hiccup tried to think of a plan. He originally intended to talk to her and convince her he was no threat. But now things were getting serious and dreaded that he may have to kill the woman in self-defense. He also hoped he could end this before Toothless decided to return to camp and got himself shot. Peeking out to find his attacker he quickly ducked back behind the tree as an arrow embed itself in it. Deciding to counter attack he quickly ripped the arrow out of the tree before activating the switch that turned his shield into a crossbow. Then he readied the arrow and pulled back against the drawing string. Raising the shield to eye level he spun out left from behind the tree and carefully observed the trees in the direction the arrow had come from. Seeing a few curl of red peeking out from behind a tree he let the arrow fly.

Merida hid behind her tree to calm herself down. Suddenly an arrow flew right past the tree she was hiding behind. It came so close that the arrowhead managed to slice though a few of her red curls. She watched as they fell to the ground and bristled slightly. _Where the heck did the Viking manage to get a bow?_ She was sure he just had a shield and sword with him. Did he have an ally helping him she wondered? The campsite had looked like it was just for one person so she assumed he must have been some kind of advanced scout or something. Readying another arrow, she peeked out from behind the tree and saw the Viking shuffling sideways with his shield raised. Running out from behind the tree she fired her arrow. Once again it bounced off the shield. Getting frustrated Merida began to fire a volley of arrows at the Viking which either imbedded in trees or bounced off the shield. After reaching for her quiver in another attempt to shoot the Viking she grabbed on empty air and realized her quiver was empty. "Och. Ah got to remember to count mah' blasted arrows," she muttered quietly to herself. Seeing the Viking ducking behind a tree she decided it was time to try a different approach. Drawing her sword she began to move from tree to tree as quietly as she could in an attempt to flank the Viking.

After managing to stop many an arrow from killing him, Hiccup allowed himself a moment to rest. Catching his breath he peaked around the tree and stepped into the open. He realized that in his panic he had become all turned around and had no idea where the meadow or the spring leading to the pond was. He supposed he could call for Toothless but that would put him in danger. He also might try to kill the woman for attacking him. With his shield raised he began to walk forward trying to locate his attacker. He turned his head from left to right looking for her. Suddenly he heard a twig snap behind him and he whirled around and raised his shield up in time to block the woman's sword attack. The woman continued to swing at him with her sword with her intent to maim written all over her face. Hiccup attempted in vain to explain the situation to her between blocking her swings as he backed up. "Look—" CLANG! "I'm not—" CLANG! "Trying to—" CLANG! "Hurt you," he finally managed to get out by stepping back and dodging a downward slash. The woman paused for a moment and raised her eyebrows probably trying determine if he was being truthful. Then the woman shook her head and hefting up her sword prepared to attack. Hiccup groaned inwardly and lifted up his shield watching her closely and preparing to block her next series of attacks.

Merida was surprised when the Viking said he wasn't trying to hurt him. For a moment she believed him. He had made no attempt to draw his sword and just kept blocking her attack with that infernal shield. But then again he was a Viking. They were known for their lies. No. She wouldn't fall for them she just had to defeat him. She hefted up her sword and began to advance on him.

Too intent on blocking her sword Hiccup wasn't focused on his surroundings and stumbled back over a root only to find himself back in the meadow few feet from his campsite. _Huh well what you know_. He thought to himself. Remembering the situation at hand he barely had time to register the woman bring her left hand his right into his face with enough force lay him on his back. _Damn this woman can punch_. He thought massaging his jaw with his free hand. He quickly refocused on the woman who was catching her breath with the sword on the ground. Seeing a rock a few inches from his left hand he quickly formulated a risky plan. Just as the girl lifted her sword off the ground and prepared to advance on him he grabbed the rock, activated the switch turning his shield into a crossbow, and fired the rock at the woman's head. As he hoped the girl let her legs all out from under her in a hasty attempt to dodge the incoming projectile. Using the opportunity, Hiccup leapt to his feet and ran to the girl with his shield up. Using his body weight he rammed into the girl with enough force to send her sprawling on her back. Then he quickly pinned the sword in her right hand under his boot. He looked into her surprised eyes and glared underneath his helmet. Threateningly as he could manage he said, "Look I don't wanna fight you and I certainly don't wanna kill you. So let's just—" but Hiccup never got to finish his statement because in a low blow the girl drove left heel into his groin.

Merida was surprised as the man ramming into her and sending her onto her back. She quickly recovered and prepared to lash out but found her sword being pinned under his boot. Then the man glared down at her though his helmet threatened her. She didn't let him finish the statement though as she drove her left heel into his groin as hard as she could. She knew this was a low blow but in a battle for your life the one who lived was the winner. As expected to man collapsed in a heap cradling his groin. She got herself up and made her over to him and managed to pin his chest under her knew and his shield arm under her foot. She had her sword pressed against his neck. She looked straight into his eyes and between pants said, "Ok Viking ah've had enough of these games. Either you tell me what you're doing here or I run you through. What's it to be Viking?"

Hiccup didn't register the question. His mind was going a mile a minute as he dreaded the worst. _Oh gods! So this is it. I never thought I would die at the hands of a woman_._ Then again I always figured there was a 47 % chance Astrid would kill me one day. WAIT! The Hel are you doing Hiccup now is not the time to be thinking of Astrid. Ok Hiccup think of something to say that will save your life? _Hiccup thought of something clever and intelligent to say that would keep the woman from slitting his throat. Instead what came out was a barely audible, "Buh." Hiccup mentally slapped himself in the forehead. _Really Hiccup? All those hundreds of words you've learned in your 19 years of life and the thousands of ways you can combine them; and the best you can come up with is BUH. WHAT IN THE NAME OF THOR DOES __**BUH**__ MEAN?_ Hiccup mentally screamed to himself. _Try again you moron say something that will keep her from killing you. _"Please don't kill me," he pleaded. _Better_.

Merida raised an eyebrow at the Viking's strange response. _The bloody heck does 'buh' mean_? She thought to herself. She shook her head and stared at the Viking with malice. She was starting to get annoyed with him not answering her questions. To let him know she was serious she press the blade a bit harder against his neck. He closed his eyes and hissed in pain as the blade bit deeper into his skin.

_Screw it. _Hiccup thought. Taking a deep breath he hollered as loudly as he could, "TOOTHLESS! HELP!" He then silently prayed that his companion would hear and each him in time.

Startled by his shout Merida pressed her knee down on his chest. "Toothless?" she muttered quietly to herself in confusion at the strange name. She glared at the man once more before a sudden noise that sounded like a roar caused her to look up from her opponent. Her mouth fell open as her brain attempted to register the black mass moving at her with blinding speed. _Is that a—_. Merida didn't get to complete the thought as the mass rammed into her making the world spin.

Refocusing, her eyes widened in horror as she stared into the face of a monster ripped straight from legend. It had her pinned against a tree with her neck in between two of its claws in an iron like grip. She attempted to strike out with her sword at the beast but realized that she must have loosened her grip in shock and lost it when the creature rammed into her. Trying in vain she squirmed underneath the creature in an attempt to escape. Finally realizing it was pointless to struggle she took a closer look at the beast. It had yellow-green eyes with black, cat like, slits that seemed to look into her very soul. With its mouth in a snarl, she could make out the glistening white teeth that were only a few inches from her face. She saw black scales covering its body along with its great bat like wings and realized that this was the dragon the old man had spoken of. Gazing back into the face of the dragon it snapped its jaws closed a few inches from her nose making her scream out in terror. Her mind suddenly flashed back to when she was pinned by the demon bear Mor'du and so close to death. Registering the dragon growling at her it puffed smoke from its nostrils and she saw a blue glow emanating from them. Finally it reared up and opened its mouth to reveal the same faint glow emanating from the back of its throat. _Oh no. It going to kill me with its fire_, Merida realized in horror. Hearing the beast take its breath she closed her eyes shut tight and turned her head away. She said a silent goodbye to her family and awaited for the beast to destroy her.

"Toothless no!" came a shout from the man.

She opened her eyes to see the Viking throwing his weight down on the dragon's head before attempting to push it away. Then the dragon released its grip on her. She stared wide eyed and was sure there was no way the man was strong enough to move the beast with his small body. She realized in amazement that the dragon willingly backing away from her at the Viking's command. She gasped in shock at the realization. She felt her chest heave and she tried her hardest to control her racing heartbeat.

Looking back to the beast and the Viking, she saw the Viking standing in front of it facing her as it pressed up against his back and hissed at her. Placing a hand on its head he finally managed to calm the dragon until it was only glaring at her. Then standing up the Viking rubbed the back of his neck before speaking.

"Sorry about this," he said, before he raised his shield up with his right arm and bring his left arm up behind it. Suddenly something fired from the shield and she yelped in surprise. Then she found herself bound tightly to the tree. She looked down and realized the shield had launched a bola at her.

He had captured her she realized. With the beast at his side she was completely at his mercy.

Looking to Toothless he met his eyes and gestured at his captive silently asking him what they should do with her. Toothless just gave a draconic shrug before returning his glare back at the woman who had hurt his friend.

Placing his shield on his back he crossed his arms over his chest and sighed. _Thank for nothing, you useless reptile._

* * *

Merida glared dagger at the Viking as he paced back in forth in front of his dragon muttering to himself. The dragon continued to glare at her with it cat like slits. She hoped her mask of bravado was convincing because she was downright terrified. The dragon had nearly killer and it was only sparing her at the command of the Viking.

Her mind began filling with question on how he could possibly control a dragon. Remembering her father's war stories she didn't recall ever hearing of Viking fighting the war on dragons. She wondered if the raiders were using dragons as well. Her thoughts then drifted to what was going to happen to her now. She had heard stories of what Viking would do to the maidens they had captured and they weren't pleasant at all.

Hiccup paced back in forth with silently asking himself what they should do now. They were never supposed to be found. Now with their presence discovered all their lives in jeopardy. The only permanent solutions involved killing the girl or keeping her captive. He looked to Toothless who was just glaring at the girl. He decided to see if the dragon could think of something, "What should we do bud?"

Toothless glanced towards Hiccup and then in and with an angry expression and baring his teeth he snorted out smoke rings while turning his gaze back to the girl. Toothless had one of the more permanent solutions in mind. Involving the girl's face meeting one of his plasma blasts.

"No. No. No. We are not doing that," Hiccup said admonishing the dragon.

Toothless simply huffed indifferently and looked away.

Sighing he determined that the only solution was really to try and reason with the girl. Then hopefully he could convince her to keep his presence a secret. Suddenly the girl let out a small shout of surprise.

Turning his head back to the girl he saw her head being yanked to one side. The reason being Sharpshot, who had grabbed a mouthful of her red curls and was playfully tugging it while thrashing his head back and forth.

"Ack. Call off your beastie before it rips my hair out," she cried.

"Sharpshot stop that. Come here boy," Hiccup commanded the small dragon while patting his right shoulder. The dragon immediately dropped the girl's hair before flying to perch on Hiccup's shoulder.

"Sorry about that. He's a good little guy normally," he said while scratching the Terror's neck. The dragon gave a chirp before letting out and affectionate purr.

With that he started fidgeting with his hands as he stared at the woman. She looked at him with ice blue eyes defiantly. After staring for a few minutes not thinking of anything to say she suddenly pulled her legs to her chest.

"Ah know what you're thinking Viking. Ah'm just letting you know ah won't make it easy for you," she hissed.

Hiccup raised an eye in confusion. What was she talking about? Deciding to inquire he asked, "What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb with me Viking. I know the reputation of your kind. I've heard the stories of what you do to young lasses you capture," she spat with venom.

Hiccup continued to stare blankly for a few moments for grasping at what she meant. Recoiling in disgust he replied, "OH GODS! I wasn't thinking that. I would never do that to you."

Merida couldn't help but feel a little insulted by that comment. "Oh well excuse me if ah don't meet your taste. Must not be smelly enough," she said sarcastically.

Hiccup's mouth fell open agape. Was she seriously offended he said he wasn't going to harm her? Gods women were weird. Then he took a good look at the girl. Not being able to take in her features during their fight he came to realize that she was beautiful. Sky blue eyes, a cute button nose, pinks lips, a lightly freckled face, wild red hair (which he had to admit he kind of liked). He found his eyes drifting from her face and down before he shook his head to clear his thoughts. Bringing his hand to his covered face in a face palm he took a breath and prayed to the gods for patience. "I just meant I don't do that. Not every Viking tribe does," he paused and looked into her and before continuing with sincerity. "I won't harm you. I swear."

Merida was surprised that she found herself believing in his words. He said them looking her straight in her eyes. His voice didn't even waver at all.

"And to answer your questions from earlier," waving a hand to signify the questions she had asked him before. "I'm just a traveler. I have no intention on attacking this land and those who live here. Lastly, I have nothing to do with any attacks that have occurred. I've only been in this land for about two weeks."

Merida searched his face and found no hint of deceit. She decided to pressure him to see if she could make him slip up. "How do ah know you aren't lying to me?" she asked.

"Well…If I was with the raiders or had intentions to attack this land why would we even be talking about this?" He paused to let his point sink in. "I mean I could kill you now or have let my dragon kill you and no one would be the wiser," he said with a light shrug.

Merida hated to admit it, but the Viking had a point. He hadn't really even attempted to fight back against her. He had just run defended himself. She looked up to him to concede his point. "Ok, ah suppose that is true….So what's going to happen now?" she asked raising an eyebrow.

Hiccup shrugged before replying, "Nothing. I cut you loose, we let bygones be bygones, part ways, and we never have to see each other again." Hiccup said holding her gaze so that she could see the truth in his eyes. Then he added, "IF, that is, you promise to not reveal my presence to the people of this land."

Merida thought this was too good to be true. Was he really just going to let her go? Could it really be that easy? "If ah do promise, how do you know that I'll keep my word?" She asked slowly.

"Well I don't for sure. So really I have everything to lose. But something tells me you're not one to go back on your word. Plus you kind of owe me."

Merida raised an eyebrow in inquiry.

"I did stop my dragon from killing you after all," he joked lightly. Then in a serious expression he asked, "Do we have a deal?"

Merida searched his expression. He seemed to be honest. She did owe him one for not letting the dragon burn her alive also she supposed. She looked him in the eyes and nodded in confirmation. "Deal," she said firmly.

With that the Viking nodded and walked to his left first before bending down and picking up what she realized was her sword. Then walking towards her with sword in hand she couldn't help but feel a little defenseless. He went to her side and in one swipe cut the ropes. Stepping back he allowed her to stand up before he extended her sword towards her hilt first. She slowly reached out and took the sword before sheathing it. Then looking the Viking in the eyes one last time she turned and walked back toward the center of the meadow where she had entered. Turning around she looked at him one more time. He gave her a small wave. _What a strange lad ye are._ She said mentally before turning and walking back into the woods.

Descending the mountain she made her way back to Angus before mounting him and riding home.

* * *

She didn't realize how much time had passed. By the time she had returned home the sun was beginning to set. Entering the main hall she saw her family enjoying her dinner.

"Hey everyone. Sorry if ah'm late," she said greeting her family.

Her family didn't seem bothered by her late arrival.

"Did you have a good ride the dear?" Her mother asked.

"Um…yes mom," Merida said with the straightest face she could manage.

Her mother smiled before her eyes dropped to her neck. "Oh dear did something happen? You got a nasty mark on your neck," Elinor asked while looking down at her neck.

_The dragon's claws must have scratched me when it pinned me. _Merida realized bringing her hand to her neck. Thinking up a reasonable excuse she answered, "Oh yeah, ah just ran into a branch while riding Angus. Must have nicked me."

Accepting her answer; Elinor simply nodded and returned to her meal.

After dinner Merida got ready for bed. All the while her thoughts kept drifting back to the Viking and his dragons. He was a strange Viking. He wasn't at all what the legends and stories said he should be like. She then began to wonder if it was truly wise to not reveal him. He seemed sincere in his intentions and he hadn't killed her even when she was at his mercy. She slowly let the thoughts drift away as sleep started to overtake her.

Then suddenly her eyes snapped opened as she realized something that hadn't occurred to her. _The wisps._ She thought with wide eyes. They had led her to him. With a groan she tossed and turned but couldn't escape the thought that plagued her about the Viking.

_Who was he? And w_hat did he have to do with her fate?


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 7: The Friendship**

Over the course of the next two days the thoughts of the Vikings plagued Merida relentlessly. The wisps had without a doubt led her to him. So what did it mean? Why was she fated to meet this man? She couldn't get the thoughts out of her head and more questions just kept coming to mind. Finally after having enough of her mind's constant nagging she decided that she would go see the Viking again. After two days of princess lessons her mother granted her a day off. She was pleased her mom and her had come to an understanding since the bear incident. Elinor was willing to compromise and grant her daughter more freedom while Merida would take her princess lessons more seriously and accepted that one day she would have to marry. The night before her day off she wondered how she should go about going to see him. The man camped on an isolated mountain so it wasn't like she could just casually run into him and play it off as coincidence. There was also the fact that she had tried to kill him. She wasn't sure he would want to see her again. _A peace offering perhaps?_ She thought that could work but wondered what she could bring him. Thinking back she faintly remember smelling the scent of fish coming from the dragon's mouth. Coming to a decision she decided she would bring the Viking fish for his dragon as a way to apologize for the misunderstanding. With that she went to sleep smiling at her plan and buzzing with anxious energy.

The following morning she quickly got up, washed, dressed, grabbed a basket and loaded it with fish from the kitchen. Then she quickly saddled Angus and rode off so no one would inquire about why she needed so much fish. With the basket sitting in front of her during the ride she steered Angus at a moderate pace to the northern plains.

Finally reaching the lonely mountain she entered the forest once again. Coming to the wall she wondered how she was going to get the basket of fish up to the top. After a moment of contemplation she got Angus to stand along the bottom of the wall while she slowly stood on his back and lifted the basket over her head. After a taking moment to balance herself she calculated how much force to put into her throw. Counting to three she hefted the basket as hard as she could and in relief it went over the top. Patting herself on the back she dropped back down into the saddle and off Angus before tying him to a tree. Taking her weapons with her as a precautionary measure she scaled the wall as she had done the day before. When she reached the top she took a breath and picked up the basket. Looking up the slope she hesitated and wondered if this was a good idea. She could turn back now and just leave the Viking be. She could just try to forget him and go about her life as if they had never met. Shaking her head she decided to press forward.

Going up the mountain was a slow process with basket of fish to carry. But step by step the meadow could be seen ahead. Breaking the tree line she glanced to the left and froze when she saw the black dragon resting on all fours at the end of the meadow. She was looking at its side and it head was turned in the other direction toward the interior of the camp. She bit her lip nervously before taking a breath to calm her nerves. Then slowly she began walking forward. When she was within 20 feet of the camp the dragon turned it head towards her. She froze when it glared at her with black slit, rose on all fours, and growled at her in warning. She stood there unsure on how to proceed when she heard a voice from the other side of the dragon. It said, "Toothless? What is it bud?" The dragon gave a hiss in reply. From the other side of the dragon she saw the top portion of a head peek up and over the dragon's back.

When she saw the green eyes she realized it was the Viking and he didn't have his helmet on. As soon as he saw her he immediately disappeared with an, "Oh gods!" Then she heard clanging and him rummaging around the camp. Then the man stood up from behind the dragon with helmet on and shield raised. He wasn't wearing armor today she noticed. He wore a green tunic with a vest of dark fur and brown leggings. He walked around the dragon slowly to its other side with his eyes never leaving her. Stepping directly in front of her at the dragon's side he seemed to be waiting for her to speak. Unsure of what to say she only stared back. After a few moments of awkward silence the Viking spoke.

"Uh…you're not going to attack me again are you?" he asked cautiously.

She shook her head before answering, "Nae. I just came to talk to ye." Letting one hand off the basket she looked away shyly and rubbed her arm. "Ah wanted to say that ah'm sorry for the misunderstanding. And I brought fish for your um….dragon," she said lifting the basket up slightly.

The man relaxed and lowered his shield. He and the dragon looked at each other for a moment and the back to her. "Oh well, thanks that's very nice of you….uh…uh…I'm sorry I didn't get your name," he said sheepishly.

She smiled lightly and took a small step forward. "Ah'm Merida. It good to meet ye," she said in greeting.

"Come join us Merida," he said placing a hand on the dragon's neck. "He won't do anything to you. I promise," he said referring to the black dragon. She took a step forward but the dragon's growling became deeper and louder causing her to freeze. Looking to the Viking for advice he answered, "It's your weapons. He thinks you mean to do us harm. Drop them and you won't have a problem."

She nodded before removing her weapons and placing them on the ground. The dragon's growling stopped and its body relaxed slightly. Seemingly satisfied she slowly advanced. Coming up to the Viking first she handed him the basket which he accepted and emptied in a pile in front of the dragon. She proceeded to walking around to the other side of the camp and sit down with her back facing the tree line. The dragon turned his attention to the pile of fish and dropped down to it stomach. The Viking sat at the dragon's side before reaching out and grabbing a medium sized fish. He looked to the tent and called out, "Sharpshot lunch time." At that a rustle was heard from inside the tent before the small green dragon came darting out. It rushed to the Viking side and he dropped the fish on the ground in front of it. It gulped the fish down in one bite before curling up at the Viking's side.

The Viking stroked the dragon small dragon's back while it purred in contentment. The he turned his attention to her and spoke. "So. You said you wanted to talk right?"

She nodded. "Yes. I would like to know…that is, if you're willing to tell me, more about you," she replied honestly.

The Viking seemed to think about her words for a moment. Then with a shrug he answered, "Sure. What would you like to know?"

With a smile she thought of what she should ask first. She could ask how he came to have a dragon. She decided against that and opted to ask the more basic of questions first. "Well let's start with your name."

The Viking nodded and cleared his throat before answering. "My name is Hiccup."

She raised an eyebrow and cocked her head to the side in disbelief. Was that really his name?

As if sensing her thought he sarcastically continued, "Yes that is my real name. Viking believe a horrible name will scare away evil."

She snorted in amusement before laughing lightly. "What so horrible about Hiccup?" she asked amused.

"Beats me," he replied with a shrug.

"Ok then Hiccup. How old are ye then?" she continued.

"I'm 19. You?"

"Ah'm 18, but I'll be 19 in a few months," she responded.

He nodded his head and waited for her to ask another question.

"Where are ye from then Hiccup?"

"A small island very far from here. It's called Berk."

She thought back to her geography lesson with her mother. She couldn't recall ever hearing of that place. She assumed that mean it was very far away. Looking at the bigger dragon he was leaning against she saw that it had fished off its fish and was looking at her. It was no longer growling at her but it still looked at her with unfriendly black slits in its eyes. "What about your beastie," she decided to inquire truly curious.

The dragon snarled lightly at her choice of word before the Viking patted him on the side to silence him. "This big guy here is named Toothless. He's what my people call a Night Fury," then he gestured to the smaller dragon curled up at his side. "This little guy hers is Sharpshot. A Terrible Terror."

She smile in understanding. She found both creatures absolutely fascinating. The smaller dragon was actually a little cute as it lay curled up at the Viking's side like a cat. But the bigger dragon was another story. She was in awe of it. Its body seemed to emanate strength and power. She took in its claws, to its tail, to the ridges covering its body, and one word came to mind. _Deadly_. She noticed that it wasn't solid black in color and that it seemed to have patterns of spots that had a dark blue hue to them. "How big is he," she asked next while motioning with her head to the black dragon.

"He 31 feet long with a 52 foot wingspan. Making him the fastest of all dragons," he said proudly.

Her mind latched onto the word _dragons_ which implied more than just the two she was seeing right before her. She attempted to ask calmly but couldn't hide her curiosity. "You mean there are more than just these two."

"Oh yes all kinds. Tons of different species where I come from," he nodded and said matter of factly.

"Wow," Merida said amazed.

Wanting to know more about dragons she enthusiastically asked for him to tell her more. Hiccup smiled underneath his helmet at her enthusiasm. He first told her about the most common species like the Nadders, Gronckles, Monstrous Nightmares, and Zipplebacks. Then he went on to the other species talking about them in groups based on their classes. He told her everything from their relative sizes, speeds, colors, abilities, and legends. Merida just listened in wonder as her eyes lit up in excitement.

_Dragons are real_. She said in her mind. She had met them. She smiled to herself at her accomplishment. Her brothers would be so jealous of her if they found out. Hiccup continued to tell her about dragon's for as long as he could. When he couldn't find any more to say he changed the topic to more personal questions.

She told him about her dad, her mother, and her bothers. While leaving out the fact that she was a princess. While she believed he meant no harm it didn't mean she would completely trust him. At least for now. He told her about his life on Berk and she was surprised to hear he was the son of a chief. That brought up the question on what exactly he was doing so far from home. Surely the son of the chief wouldn't be let to travel so far from home by himself. When she inquired. Hiccup sighed sadly and turned his gaze down before answering quietly.

"I'm just looking for a new home." Sensing his sadness Toothless wrapped his tail around him and crooned in concern in attempt to comfort him. Likewise Sharpshot hopped up and wrapped himself around his shoulders.

Merida could tell that the dragons had a strong bond with their master. Attempting to distract him from his sadness she told him about the pranks her brothers would pull on innocent bystanders. It seemed to work as he went on to mention a pair of twins from his home with a penchant for destruction. As they compared stories of the deeds her brothers and the twins had performed they found themselves laughing and shuddering at the thought if the two groups ever met.

After ending that topic Merida asked Hiccup how he lost his leg. He simply answered that it was a dragon. Sensing more to the story she pressed for details and he simply deflected by saying he would tell her next time. Merida smiled at the implication that 'next time' meant he wasn't planning on leaving soon.

Deciding that she should go they said their goodbyes as she grabbed the empty fish basket and her weapons before walking back to where she entered the meadow. Looking back she waved goodbye to Hiccup which he returned and made her way down to Angus and back to the castle.

Declaring her meeting with Hiccup to be a success she had smile on her face all throughout dinner. Her mother seemed to notice this and inquired, "Something good happen today dear?"

Merida simply shrugged and after taking a bite of her meal answered with, "Just a good day is all." She said hoping to sound casual.

Her family seemed to accept her answer and didn't question it further. Heading up to bed her mother stopped her.

"Oh and dear ah just thought you should know the lords and their son's will be arriving in a few weeks in celebration of the anniversary of the formation of our alliance," she informed her.

"Ugh mum the lords," she said with a groan.

"Oh Merida the young lords aren't so bad," her mother said.

"They're a bunch of idiots mom. All they ever do is fight and try to do things to impress me," Merida said rubbing her hand against her temples.

"Well they are still candidates for marriage love. You should consider yourself lucky having three strapping young men vying for your hand," her mother said with wink.

Merida blushed lightly and stomped to her room in a huff. Going to bed and settling down she looked forward to her next meeting with Hiccup.

* * *

For the next few weeks Merida would go to see Hiccup on her days off. Every time she would make sure to grab a basket of fish for Toothless hoping to win his favor. On her second visit she was surprised to find the camp empty. Deciding to wait until the group returned she decided to practice her archery by shooting some trees. She got the surprise of her life when a shadow passed overhead and out of the sky came Toothless with Hiccup on his back. Dismounting to greet her she stared in amazement at what appeared to be a saddle.

"You ride him?! YOU RIDE DRAGONS!?" she shouted in excitement.

The Viking rubbed the back of his neck nervously before replying, "Oh yeah. Did I forget to mention that?"

Demanding an explanation he simply replied that it was a long story. Sensing that it had something to do with his missing foot she sat down and made herself comfortable before looking at him expectantly. Hiccup gave a sigh before grabbing the basket of fish she had brought and dumping it out for Toothless and Sharpshot to feed. Then sitting down himself across from her he told her his story

He explained how his tribe had been at war with dragons for centuries and that they used to kill them as a rite of passage. He followed by stating that how he was weaker than most Vikings and instead made a device in attempt to shoot down a Night Fury that would be Toothless and how when upon finding him, he spared his life. Hearing his story Merida was awestruck. As he explained about how he bonded with Toothless and constructed Toothless's replacement fin, pointing out the mechanism on the beast, she marveled at his intelligence and courage. It was like he was a hero that had jumped from the pages of a fairytale. He had overcome great odds, narrowly avoided death, and come out the better for it while improving the lives of those around him. When he got to his battle with the dragon he called 'The Red Death', which he claimed to be as big as a mountain, she was hanging on his every word. After that he went on to explain how he and his friends slowly started to find ways to integrate the dragons into Viking society by founding the dragon academy which he was head of.

Pausing in his retelling of his life to drink from a canteen Merida spoke up, "You're amazing Hiccup."

"What no I'm not," the Viking replied waving his hand dismissively at the compliment,

"You most certainly are. You're a hero," she cried at the shy boy. How could one man possibly be so humble at what he had accomplished? He was amazing in more ways than one.

At the word hero Hiccup blushed slightly underneath his helmet. It was a nice compliment. Not that he wasn't used to hearing it, but something from Merida made it speak to his heart. Deciding to change the subject off himself he asked a question of his own. "By the way Merida I was wondering," he said grabbing her attention. Motioning for him to go ahead with a nod he continued. "I saw a castle while I was flying in on Toothless. Does this land have a king or ruling family?" He asked inquisitively.

Raising her chin up and answering with pride, "Oh yes. You're in the lands of the clan Dunbroch in the Kingdom of Dunbroch. These lands are ruled by the Bear King, Fergus, and Queen Elinor," she paused to take a breath. Luckily she had given her family fake names when she had told him about them. Her response was almost automatic and as the princess couldn't help but speak about her family with pride. "Along with them they have four children. Three princes and the first born the princess," she finished without speaking their names.

"The Bear King?" Hiccup asked.

"Oh aye. King Fergus is famous for his battle with the demon bear Mor'du," she said with a smile.

"Sounds like quite the story," Hiccup said leaning forward.

With a smile she told her about her father's battle with Mor'du and how he lost his leg. Deciding not to reveal how the demon bear had been killed by her mother only two year ago at this time. At the end of the story Hiccup clapped enthusiastically.

"Sound likes this king could give my dad a run for his money," Hiccup said impressed.

"You bet he could," she said with a wink.

"So what happened to Mor'du? Is he still around?"

"Why? Ye scared?" she asked jokingly.

Hiccup just scoffed and rolled his eyes, "Please I got Toothless with me. I'd like to see a bear go up against a fire breathing dragon. Ain't that right bud?" Hiccup said turning to the dragon.

Looking up from his fish Toothless growled and gave a nod in agreement before resuming his meal.

With a light chuckle she turned to Hiccup and said, "Play your cards right and ah may tell it to you one day."

Hiccup smiled underneath his helmet and nodded in understanding. Deciding to change topics she asked Hiccup about his strange shield. With a smile Hiccup got up and grabbed it. He came to sit down next to her and explained how it worked. She watched in amusement as he spoke about his work with pride. She didn't understand the full mechanisms behind it but was amazed at what it was capable if. Hiccup was an amazing blacksmith, inventor, and he just never kept ceasing to amaze her.

After he finished talking about his shield he showed his prosthetic and tried to explain hot that worked as well. Once again she didn't fully grasp the concepts that kept coming from the boy but she just let him ramble on and gave the occasionally nod.

Finally calling it a day, she politely interrupted as he was explaining how the mechanism behind the saddle and foot pedals that allowed him to manipulate the prosthetic tailfin and said she had to go. With a nod he helped her gather her things before walking back to her usual entrance with a wave they said goodbye and she returned to the castle.

Her third visit was the most memorable. After a discussion with her mother about the allied clan's visit she left the castle in a sour mood. After riding on Angus through the forest and shooting all her hanging targets she decided to go visit Hiccup. When Hiccup saw her he seemed to sense her irritation and inquired as to what was bothering her. She only huffed that she didn't want to talk about and sat in her usual spot while pulling grass out of the ground.

After watching her for a few minutes and thinking of ways to cheer her up Hiccup was struck with an idea. Walking over to her he extended his hand down to her for her to take. She raised an eyebrow in question and Hiccup just told her to trust him. Reaching out she took his hand and he pulled her up. Then grabbing her by the wrist gently he led her over to where Toothless and Sharpshot were sunbathing in the center of the meadow. Calling out to his companion Toothless walked over looked over at the pair with large black orbs. Then gently, he started to lift her arm and move it towards Toothless. Seeing his intention she yanked her arm back.

She looked at back and forth to Hiccup and Toothless nervously. Hiccup just gave her a reassuring nod and she carefully reached her arm out towards Toothless's snout. Fearing the worst she closed he eyes and looked away. When something warm and scaly pressed against her palm she looked back to see Toothless's snout pressed up against it. Buzzing with excitement she laughed and brought her other hand to pet Toothless on the forehead. The dragon responded with a rumbling purr which buzzed against her hand still on his snout. Then with both hands she began to feel Toothless's skin. She loved texture of it. Following Toothless's example Sharpshot perched himself on her should and with a happy chirp began to nuzzle against her cheek. She laughed in exhilaration at touching not just one but two dragons.

Hiccup watched the girl with a feeling of satisfaction. He was glad Toothless had moved passed their initial encounter with Merida and was being friendly with her. He found she was a very pleasant girl to be around once he got to know her. She was passionate, proud, brave, and had a natural curiosity about the world around her. He couldn't help but think about how much they seemed to have in common. With a nod he walked back to his campsite and decided to sit down. After a few moments Merida sat down next to him with Sharpshot still on her should and Toothless laid down behind them. Leaning back, he looked up at the sky and enjoyed the day. He still missed Berk. He still missed his father, his friends, and especially Astrid. But speaking with Merida made him feel less lonely, for while he liked having his companions around it was nice to hold a conversation with a being that didn't growl of chirp back.

Scratching Sharpshot on the neck and earning a contented purr Merida glanced over at her friend. She paused to consider whether or not Hiccup was her friend. He was right? They called each other by their first names, they talked about their lives, spent time together, and he had even tried to cheer her up. That constituted a friendship right?

Glancing over at the Viking who was just leaning back and staring at the sky she decided to ask. "Hiccup," she started nervously.

"Hm?" was all he said not looking at her.

"Are you my…," she fidgeted with her hands and realized her palms were sweaty. Rubbing her hands together she continued. "Are we…ye know…friends?" she asked looking to him.

Hiccup contemplated her question for a moment. She was a nice girl. She had brought him fish for his dragons, kept his presence secret, shared some of her life with him, so did that make her a friend? With a shrug he answered, "Yeah I guess so."

Merida smiled wide at his answer. She had made her first friend. In all her life she couldn't really think of someone she could call her friend. Sure she occasionally talked with some of the younger maids and serving girls that worked at the castle, but their conversations usually consisted of trading gossip. Then there were the young lords. Her relationship with them was more friend-ly than a friendship. She occasionally would spar and joke around with the castle guards but she was their princess. Hiccup associated with Merida just because she was herself. He didn't treat her like a princess and she couldn't help but find that endearing. It warmed her heart that he saw her as a friend.

With a sigh she leaned back against Toothless and stared up at the sky also. Occasionally she would point to clouds and tell him what they looked like to her. He would chuckle and tell her what they looked like to him and they just enjoyed each other's company.

On her next few visits Hiccup would show her the hand signals Toothless knew. He also demonstrated the tricks Sharpshot could perform. They also had a shooting contest one day with her bow versus his crossbow shield. Merida had to admit the lad had good aim but she always managed to beat him and thus held on to her title as the best archer in the land. On her last visit a few day before the lords were expected to arrive she told him that she wouldn't be able to return for a little over a week. She explained that the kingdom was having a celebration and that she had 'responsibilities' to see to. Hiccup simply nodded in understanding. Before she turned to leave she looked at her friend one last time and something crossed her mind. Hiccup never took off his helmet in front of her.

"Hiccup. How come you never show me your face?" She asked with a frown trying not to sound too bit hurt at the realization.

Hiccup tensed at the question and his eyes widened. With a cough he hurriedly answered, "Uh well…I might have to go into town someday to use the forge or something and I think it's best if you didn't recognize me. You know being a stranger and all. Knowing someone from the village would be suspicious"

"But we're friends right? Don't you trust me?" Merida said. She realized that she was being a tad hypocritical since she was hiding the fact that she was royalty from him.

"What?! Of course we are Merida and of course I do," he reassured her. Seeing her unconvinced and hurt expression he added, "Look I promise that I'll show you my face soon. OK?"

Her expression immediately changed. With a smile she nodded before descending the mountain. Hiccup watched her go and sighed. He wasn't expecting her to question him about his helmet. The true reason was that he didn't want to get too attached. He knew he might have to leave if he was discovered and figured never seeing someone's face would make the pain of losing them hurt less. Shaking his head he turned back to his campsite to continue his devices.

* * *

Waking up the next day, something immediately didn't feel right. There was a foreboding that she couldn't explain. Looking outside she saw that the clouds were dark and the sky was an ominous gray. Getting dressed she went down to see her family. Entering the main hall she found her mother standing at the main door way looking out. Walking up to her mother she stood behind her and cleared her throat to make her presence known.

After a few moments of silence her mother answered. "You feel it too. Don't you dear?" she said.

Merida eyes widened in surprise at her mother's words. "Feel what mum?" she ask nervously.

"Ah'm not sure. But ah can't help but feel something bad is about to happen," her mother said while staring off into the distance.

"What do you think it is mom?" Merida asked cautiously.

"Ah don't know. Bah I'm probably just being daft," he mother said turning around. She waved her hand dismissively and smiled at her daughter. "Come on dear let just eat. Hunger is probably all it is."

Merida nodded at her mother and gave a small smile. Taking her seat at the table her brother's joined them followed by her father.

Eating quietly her father spoke up, "The lords should be arriving sometime today."

Her mother just gave a slight nod indicating she heard.

Suddenly a guard burst into the room and ran up to her father before kneeling at his side. "My king there are ships approaching the docks," he said frantically.

Her father leapt from his seat and cried out, "WHAT! How did they possible get this close without us noticing?"

"The whole loch was covered in a fog your Highness it only just cleared now. They probably slipped in during the night," the soldier answered.

King Fergus cursed silently. "How many ships are there? Are they the raiders we've heard about?" He asked.

Merida paled at the thought that these could be the raiders who were destroying towns.

"There looks to be at least twelve ships. From what we can see from spyglass there are at least 100, maybe more, of them armed to the teeth? They wear horned helmets too your majesty so they are believed to be the raiders."

Her father bristled and turned red in rage. He calmed himself and began to plan the counter attack when another groups of guards burst into the room. They were dragging a man whose arms were bound behind his back. The man was sporting a black eye and busted lip as the guards brought him before the king on his knees.

Fergus raised an eyebrow at the new development, "What's this then?"

One of guards holding the man spoke up, "Sir, we caught this man trying to scale the wall on the east side."

One of the soldiers pulled the man back by the hair, forcing him to look up at Fergus. Approaching menacingly with his fists clenched Fergus loomed over the man. "Who are ye?"

The man gave a sneer. But remained silent.

"Sir," shouted yet another soldier bursting into the room.

"What is it now," the King shouted in frustration turning toward the new soldier.

"It the armory sir, someone booby trapped it and it was ablaze…We managed to put out the fire but many of the weapons were badly damaged," the soldier cried.

Fergus's eyes widened. Then he turned back to the man. The man had an evil smirk on his face. He looked up at the king with a satisfied smile.

Fergus grabbed the man by his clothing and pulled him up to eye level. "Did ye do this," he said though gritted teeth.

The man cleared his throat before answering. "That I did Highness. I am Salomon the Saboteur. Aptly nicknamed if I do say so myself," the man said with a proud sneer.

"Are you with the raiders?"

"That I am Bear King," he said.

"How large are your forces. Why have you come here," Fergus said asking the man harshly.

The man smiled but remained silent. Fergus thought about striking the man when the man's eyes rolled to the back of his head and he started to spasm violently. Dropping the man as he began to foam at the mouth, Fergus backed away. The man continued to spasm and foam before his eyes bulges and he stilled.

"Poisoned himself," one of the guards muttered.

With a silent curse Fergus leapt into action pointing to one of the guards as he issued orders, "Round up the men and get at least half of them to begin locking down the castle. Get the villagers inside and into the tunnels," pausing he turned and pointed to another guard. "You get the other half and get ready for battle. Start getting the catapults ready as well. GO!" With that he turned and ran to his wife before pulling her into an embrace. "Keep the village safe ma love," he said before kissing her on the forehead. He then briskly ran out of the room silently praying he would see her again.

Elinor watched her husband go before dashing to the princes. Grabbing two of them by their hands she tuned to Merida and said, "Merida. Help me get your brothers into the tunnels."

Merida began to protest but her mother interrupted sharply, "No arguments Merida. NOW!"

Flinching slightly at her mother's sharp tone she consented with a nod before she grabbed her last brother and quickly followed after her mom. Taking them into the cellar her mother opened the door to the tunnels and pushed all of them in. "Stay here. Ah need gather the staff and ensure the villagers get to safety." With that she closed the door and ran off.

Merida walked into the tunnels with her brother's taking in all the events that had occurred. The raiders had come. They had bypassed their defenses and one man had effectively swept their legs out from under them. She paced back and forth worrying about her father. Her brothers left her to her thoughts and ran into the tunnels to explore. She paced keeping her head down as she went back and forth. She was worried for her father's life. She tired to think of a way she could help him but nothing came to mind. She paused her contemplation to look and her heart nearly jumped out of her chest. A wisp had appeared and floated just in front of her face.

"Well what do ye want then?" she asked annoyed. The wisp only bobbed up and down slightly before vanishing when the door to the tunnel entrance opened. A group of the castle workers walked in bringing sacks of food with them. One had a torch and began lighting torches that ran along the wall of the tunnels to illuminate it. They moved passed her and went deeper inside lighting more tunnels along the way. She watched them pass before turning around and once again having a heart attack as the wisp had reappeared a few inches form her face.

"Och. You're going to kill me ye blasted wisp," she said in a low hiss. "Now what the devil do you want? Where could you possibly want to lead me?"

The wisp only swayed slightly in front of her.

She ran a hand though her hair in frustration. She didn't know why she suddenly expected the wisp to answer her. She glared at the wisp as it continued to float in front of her. Suddenly the wisp became very still. It just floated as if frozen in time. Merida raised an eyebrow in confusion and slowly raised her right arm. She slowly brought her open hand toward the wisp. Expecting it to disappear Merida was surprised when it didn't just flicker away. As she moved her hand nearer the wisp just remained perfectly still. She decided to bring her hand around the wisp and then the wisp flame seemed to shrink back away from her hand. As quick as her could she tried to close her hand down around the wisp and it finally vanished. She gave a sigh in annoyance when she suddenly realized that something was in her hand. Lowering her arm she slowly uncurled her fingers and lightly gasped at what lay in her palm.

A dragon scale. Toothless's scale.

_Hiccup?_

* * *

**Ok people i could use some help. I'm terrible at coming up with names so I want you to come up with the name of this group of raiders and their leader. The ones i like the most i will put into the story. **

**also:**

** guest reviewer Snowflake - Your emotional investment in the story is very much appreciated. Very encouraging too. **

** Comet Moon - Stay awesome**

** guest reviewer yellowrose - sorry they haven't hooked up yet. They will, i swear**

** Guest reviewer Shadowmaster - I do find your idea interesting but it's not quite what i had in mind. Sorry. If you'd like to write a story like that I'd be happy to read it though**

**hope you guys liked the chapter and are interested in more. **


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 8: The Raid**

_Hiccup_?

Merida couldn't comprehend the message the wisps were trying to tell her. What did Hiccup have to do with the situation? She briefly entertained the thought that Hiccup was with the raiders and that maybe had lied to her. She shook her head dispelling the venomous thoughts with a tinge of guilt at even considering the notion. Still staring at the black scale in her palm a thought struck her. Hiccup could help them. He had told her stories about how he had defended his island with Toothless and won many times. Yes, Hiccup was a warrior and Toothless was a powerful fire breathing dragon so surely the pair could help them. But even if Hiccup had the power to possibly help them defeat the raiders the question was would he? If she asked him he might help in the name of their friendship she thought. But was it fair to ask him for so much? To fight would mean to reveal himself and that would put the young man in mortal danger. He could be imprisoned or even executed. She knew if she wanted to help her father she had to come to a decision quickly. After a final moment of deliberation she came to a decision. She would ask for his help and after she would defend him even if it meant going against her father.

Turning away from the entrance of the tunnel she knew that she was going to need assistance. "Boys," she said loud enough to summon her brother.

Coming down the tunnel they all stood before with inquisitive looks on their face.

Bending down to whisper she said, "Alright boy in need your help to get out of the castle unnoticed. I have a friend that can help fight the raiders but I need to get to him. I know you know these tunnels systems well so I need to you to take me to an exit that will put me right at the stables."

The boys looked at each other and as silently exchange passed between them. Merida knew they were considering whether or not they should comply with their request. Though they were young they grasped how dire the situation was and whole they wanted more than anything to help their father, would be putting their sister in danger.

Interrupting the mental conversation she tried to convince them again, "Look I know that what I'm doing is dangerous, but I need to go now. Don't you want to help dad?"

After one last exchange they all gave an affirmative nod before Harris grabbed her hand with his. Then they all began to lead her deeper into the tunnels. Her brother knew these tunnel systems quite well which was why they were the only one who could help her. If any of the staff saw her making her way through the castle they would immediately grab her and force her back into the tunnels. Her brothers moves at a brisk tunnels taking a seemingly endless series of turns that she tired her best to memorize but knew there was no way would remember. Finally her brother suddenly stopped. They looked up to her and all pointed to their left at a wall.

She took a look at the wall before looking back at them questioningly.

They responded by rolling their eyes as if she was stupid before they pointed to a torch on the wall and mimicking a pulling motion.

Raising and eyebrow she reached out to the torch. Taking a firm grip around it she pulled down. A light clicking sound was heard and her brothers pushed against the wall revealing that it swung open like a door. Inside the stone doorway it was pitch-black. She quickly grabbed a torch and went inside notice that were stair leading up. She turned back around to look at her brother and they gave her a thumbs up in encouragement. Turing around she lowered herself to speak to them.

"Thank you boy. I promise that my friend will help dad. Stay here and look after mum, ok?"

The boys nodded and gave her smile. She smiled back before continuing up the stairs while the door closed behind her. Walking carefully up the stairs she soon came to a stone wall. She examined the wall looking for a mean to open it. Then looking down she saw a small latch on the bottom of the door. Undoing the latch she pushed on the door with all her strength and it slowly began to open. After she opened it a significant way she slipped out before closing the stone door behind her. Examining her surroundings she discovered she had come out on a section of the castle wall right next to the stable. To her right Angus was staring at her with hay in his mouth in a surprised expression. She turned to look at where she had exited to find she could find any trace of the door from the outside. The door seam was blended perfectly with the stone.

Refocusing on the task at hand she made quick work of saddling Angus before riding down to the castle gates. Along the way the villagers and soldiers noticed her and called out to her. She ignored them and urged Angus forward. Approaching the castle gates she saw the guards waving their arms and calling out for her to stop. Head down she urged Angus faster once more and she went tight past them in a blur. Looking back she saw the guards calling out to her to return and waving their arms frantically. She couldn't help feel a little bad for worrying them but she knew she could apologize later. Turning back a round with the castle a significant distance away she had to yank back on the reins to keep from slamming into a wisp.

She groaned in frustration before shouting at the spirit, "What is it now? I get it ok. Ah'm going to ask Hiccup to help us. That's what you meant right. Now get out of my way!"

The wisp refused to move. Sighing in annoyance she attempted to steer Angus around it but it moved in front of Angus's face. She gin tried to move Angus in the other direction but the wisp repeated it action.

Reaching her limit of patience she threw her hand up and shouted at the annoying and conflicting spirit, "Ok now I really don't get what ye want. You give me Toothless's scale so ah assumed you meant for me to ask Hiccup for help, but you won't get out of ma bloody way. What do ye want you infernal confusing spirit?"

The wisp bobbed slightly before moving off to her right and stopping at the tree line. It paused there and she guessed that it must be waiting for her. She didn't understand. She needed to get to Hiccup and the wisp wanted her to lead Angus into the forest. She thought the spirits must have gone mad. But the spirits had led her true before so she decided to trust the thing. She steered Angus to the tree line and into the forest after the retreating wisp.

Unlike last time the wisp didn't just flicker away and keep reappearing in front of her. Instead it was slowly staying just ahead of them and would slowly turn allowing them to follow along. After running aimlessly through the forest her eyes widened as ahead of them suddenly appeared a stone wall. Pulling back on the reins as hard as she could causing Angus to rear up before stopping. With a gasp she looked around wide eyed and found herself at the wall of the mountain that lead to Hiccup's camp. Her mind reeled in confusion as how she could have gotten here by running through the forest. She concluded that he wisp must have somehow transported her here before dismounting, tying up Angus, and climbing up the wall.

Reaching the top she tore off up the slope towards the meadow. About halfway up she began shouting to Hiccup and silently begged the gods for him to be there. Bursting into the meadow she looked to her left and was relieved when she saw Hiccup and Toothless bounding towards her.

Having heard Merida shouting his name she noticed the frantic tone and quickly put on this helmet before rushing up to her usual entrance with Toothless in tow. Upon reaching her and noticing her gasping for breath and desperate look he grew concerned. "Merida what's wrong? Is everything ok?"

She caught her breath before turning to him and shouting, "No Hiccup. The raiders have come. They've sabotaged us and our preparing to attack as we speak."

Widening his eyes in surprise he assumed Merida believed he was with them. "Merida I'm not with them I swear," he said earnestly.

She quickly dispelled his doubts by answering, "I know Hiccup that's not why I'm here."

He raised an eyebrow in surprise and wondered what she could possibly have come here for so desperate.

"I've come to ask for your help in fighting them off," she said meeting his gaze.

He stepped back in surprise before raising his arm up. "Whoa Merida, I'd love to help but…I just can't. That would mean having to reveal our presence and I can't put us in danger like that," he tried to explain.

With tears in her eyes she stepped towards Hiccup before grapping onto his fur vest and yanking him forwards. She pulled him down inches from her face and looked up into his eyes. "Oh please Hiccup. My dad is fighting with the raiders, and he could die. Please as ma friend won't you help him," she said desperately.

He wanted to help. He truly did but the danger of revealing himself made him hesitant. He looked to Merida and her pleading look made his heart clench. He started to consider his options. Did he really owe Merida anything? Sure she had brought his companions food which had meant he didn't need to go out as much to fish and thus made it easier to hide. But to throw himself and his dragons' into life and death situations was another story.

Deciding to check the odds he hesitantly asked, "How many are there?"

"At least 12 ships. And probably 100 men," she replied feeling a small flame of hope welling up inside her.

With a sigh he looked to Toothless. The dragon locked eyes with him and with a growl nodded his head.

Turning back to Merida he stood as straight as he could and locked eyes with her. Clenching his fist at his side he gave her his answer, "Ok I'll help you."

"Truly Hiccup, you mean it?" She asked excitedly.

With a nod he answered and she threw her arms around him in a fierce hug. He retuned it before grabbing her by the shoulder and pulling her away to look into her eyes. She gasped at what she saw. In the eyes of the boy she knew, she saw fire. Before her now was Hiccup the warrior, the Viking, the dragon rider. Not the boy who told jokes, babbled on about his inventions, and looked at the sky. With a firm voice he told her, "But I need you to do something for me."

"Anything," answered honestly.

"You mentioned your father is fighting the raiders so I assume he is a soldier. I need you to get him to convince the king not to shoot us out of the sky when we arrive."

She hadn't thought of that she realized. She was going to have to confront her father to ensure his men didn't kill the man while he was trying to help them. Dreading the encounter she gave Hiccup and nod. With that Hiccup turned her around and shoved her forward lightly. Turning around she looked up at him.

"I need you to get there before me and I still need to get my armor on and saddle up toothless. But I promise I'll be there as soon as I can," his voice said with conviction.

She gave an affirmative nod before descending down the mountain in a run.

Hiccup watched her run off before removing his helmet and rubbing his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. _Must be getting soft_. He mentally sighed to himself. But a part of him knew that he was always going to say yes to the girl. Not because he felt he owed her something. Not just because she was his friend. No, Hiccup would help because it was the right thing to do. Even if they were technically his enemies to would kill him the moment they saw him, he would do all in his power to save them. That's just who Hiccup was. Turning and walking back to camp he started to formulate a plan of attack.

Reaching the top of wall she climbed down as fast as she could and mounted Angus. Taking off through eh forest and headed to the plains she saw a wisp to her right out of the corner of her eye. Not hesitating she turned Angus to the right, now trusting that the wisps were on her side and urged him on.

_Please be ok da. Please just hang in there. _ She pleaded in her mind.

* * *

Fergus looked ahead at the procession of Viking marching toward him and his men. After reaching the docks to find half of the Viking ships preparing to come ashore Fergus ordered his men to charge forward to stop them. Long sword in hand he was prepared to cut down as many Viking as he could. But from their ships they fired at his advancing men with crossbows and arrows. The volley of arrows forced Fergus to pull his men back. Thankfully there were no casualties but a few men were injured. With the fire to the armory many shields had been burned beyond repair. Even worse, most of their bows had also burned and thus their options were mostly limited to close combat. In a worse turn of event it was discovered that their catapults had also been sabotaged by he assumed the man Salomon.

The situation was dire. Their only hope was that their allies would arrive to assist them. Until then Fergus knew what he and his men must do. They had to hold the line if it meant their lives. At least then his family and villagers would be safe. He watched as the Viking began unloading their own fully functioning catapults and cursed in frustration. All around him he could feel his men's moral start to fade. Each man was willing to give their lives for the ones they loved sheltering in the castle and he understood their trepidation.

Stepping forward from his line of men He raised his sword and with as much conviction and courage as he could muster he shouted, "We may die in battle today men. But our loved one's will know of our valor," he paused to slash his sword across the ground to make a line. "We draw the line here. We give them no quarter and we fight to our last breath!"

His men raised their weapons and shouted in agreement with their king. Their moral raised and weapons at the ready they prepared themselves for what many of the assumed would be their last battle.

Suddenly the galloping of a horse was heard approaching from the rear of the company. Whirling around he grit his teeth together in frustration as he saw a familiar mane of wild red hair. _Merida_ he screamed internally on outrage. How could the girl be so foolish as to come to the battlefield? Especially when he had left at the castle for her own safety.

The troops parted as Merida dismounted her horse and ran to her father. She steeled herself as she approached when she saw the look of pure anger in his face. The guards gave them a wide girth, sensing their king's ire, as she reached her father. Reaching out he grabbed her by the shoulder with his free hand harder than he realized. Puller her toward his face he looked her in the eyes and cried, "LASS ARE YOU MAD! WHAT IN BLAZES ARE YOU DOING HERE!?"

Merida flinched at his harsh tone but had been half expecting it. Wriggling from his grasp she took a few steps back before taking a breath to try and explain. "Dad I need to tell you something. I have a friend who is coming to help, but the thing is da—"she tried to quickly blurt out before she could be interrupted.

But King Fergus wasn't in the mood to listen. To preoccupied with battle and her safety he had cut her off with, "Ah don't have time for this." Then pointing to a guard, he ordered him to take her back to the castle. Then he turned back to the still proceeding line of Vikings.

Not ready to give up she clenched her fists in determination and was about to take a step forward when she heard a guard shout, "Look out." Turning to the guard she followed his gaze and saw a large boulder heading at them. Specifically at her.

Fergus watched in horror as he saw the rock fly over his head before turning around realizing that its trajectory would put it right into the path of his beloved daughter. Frozen for half a second at the realization he reached out ,but realized he reacted half a second too late.

Merida was too shocked to move. Around her guards were beginning to rush at her with the intention of pulling her out of the way of the stone. They were too far away however and reacted too late to make a difference. The world seemed to slow down as the stone sailed through the air arcing straight down at her. _I'm going to die_, she realized. Her life flashed before her eyes as she said goodbye to the ones she loved for the third time in her life. Watching the stone she used the last precious seconds to say a silent goodbye to Hiccup. She hadn't known the young man for very long but she had treasured the time they had spent together and was grateful she could call him her friend.

And that was when a miracle happened.

Just before the stone was about to crush the princess and send her to the afterlife a purple flashed descended from sky, collided with boulder, and caused it to explode into dust.

Shocked at still being alive, Merida stood in place as her brain tried to process what had just happened. All around her, the soldiers, her father, and even the Vikings paused as they tried to fathom what act of the gods had just save the princess.

Then they noticed a soft whistling noise that seemed to come from all around them. Then the noise grew louder and higher and everyone paused to look around and try to pinpoint the origin of the noise. Suddenly one of the soldiers fell back on his butt before shouting like a madman and pointing to the sky.

Everyone turned to their gaze to the direction the man was pointing and a collective gasp escaped everyone's mouth. At that moment Merida was sure that everyone was mentally screaming the next thing the soldier was about to shout, "DRAGON!"

Out of the sky she saw Toothless rapidly swoop right over her father's men and towards the intruders, leaving a powerful gust of wind in his wake. On his back she could make out Hiccup. Leaning forward in the saddle to aid Toothless's speed she could also make out a green spot she recognized as Sharpshot perched on his shoulder.

_Hiccup! _She cheered mentally with a wide smile. He had saved her she realized. The flash, she now recognized, was one of Toothless's 'plasma blasts' as Hiccup called them. Finally moving into action, she ran to the front line to her father.

King Fergus couldn't believe what he had seen. One moment a boulder shot from the Viking invaders was about to smash into his daughter. Than as if by divine intervention a light form the sky destroyed it and saved his beloved little girl. Then a creature instantly recognizable from legend as a dragon flew right over their heads and at the Vikings. _Could this day get any madder!?_ He turned around and watched as the Viking panicked and began arming their catapults and preparing to bring down the beast.

Realiing that he should do the same. "All available archers prepare you arrow and aim it at the beast. If it makes a pass over us bring it down." The soldiers prepared and notched arrows in preparation when a scream suddenly caught all their attention.

"NO. DA. WAIT!"

Turning to the voice of his daughter running up to him the first thing he did was sweep her into a hug. Holding her close after almost losing her he silently thanked the god. He was surprised as she suddenly squirmed and pushed herself away from him. Looking at her in confusion he noticed the frantic look on her face.

"Da no, tell the men not to shoot. That's Hiccup," Merida cried.

This only confused Fergus more.

Slapping her forehead in frustration she realized she never finished explaining. "Da. That dragon has a man on it. That man is my friend. He's come to help us," she blurted out.

"What are you talking about lass?" Fergus cried.

"I was trying to explain to you before da. That dragon and the man on it are here to help us," Merida explained as calmly as she could.

Fergus stunned by the ridiculousness of the situation didn't know what to make of anything. His daughter was claiming that the dragon was here to help them. Not only that, a person was riding it. He had more important thing to think about, like the battle with the Viking and a fire breathing beast descending on them. "Merida ah don't—,"

But he never got to finish that statement as Merida cut in sharply with a loud, "SHUT IT!" Then taking a deep breath to calm herself Merida looked into her father's surprised face before speaking. "Da I know how this must all sound. I know this probably seems ludicrous, crazy, and you probably think ah'm daft but you need to listen to me." Holding her father's gaze to keep his attention, "The last time you didn't listen to me you nearly killed mom. I promise ah'll explain everything after this is over but you need to tell the men to not shoot the dragon. Please dad." She felt a twinge of guilt at reminder her father about how he nearly killed his beloved wife but she need to get her point across.

Searching his daughter expression he saw that she was being completely serious. Flashing back to the point where his stubbornness nearly made him lose his beloved at his own hand he relented. With a shout and sweeping over his men he shouted, "Men, arrows down. Don't shoot the dragon. That's an order." At his men's understandable reluctance he shouted again more firmly, "You heard me. No one is to shoot that dragon."

With that the archers lowered their bows and relaxed. Then turning to watch the dragon he spoke to his daughter as came to stand beside him. "I hope you know what you're doin lass. And you owe me quite the explanation after we get back to the castle."

She nodded in response keeping her eyes on the Vikings and the man on the back of the dragon trying to save them.

* * *

_Wooh. Just in time,_ Hiccup thought in relief after saving Merida from being crushed by the boulder. Patting Toothless on the neck in thanks he and his companions sped over the Scottish company and towards the intruder. _Definitely Vikings._ He thought to himself as he took in their armor, ships, and weaponry. As he got closer they prepared to fire on him with their catapults. He noticed that they seemed oddly panicky. They were tripping over each other in fear and being relatively slow and inefficient at loading the catapults. _It's like they've never seen a dragon before_, he thought to himself.

Circling over them he reached into the satchel hanging at his right side he pulled out a medium sized glass orb. In it was the special deadly liquid he had been saving in case he ran into a company of Berserkers. Deciding this was a good as time as any to use them he placed all the ones he brought into the satchel before flying off to battle. Looking down and taking aim he threw the orb down. Watching it fall, it crashed to the ground with a satisfying crash and shattered, sending it contents all over the men. In panic and confusion the men bumped into each other spreading the liquid around the company and covering other men in the substance. _Good, _Hiccup thought. Their panic would be useful for what he had in mind.

Swooping low to keep their fear up he threw down two more orbs. Then climbing back up and circling he tossed another two. Then his tossed several more before pulling out one last orb and looking to Sharpshot perched on his shoulder.

"Alright Sharpshot," Hiccup said grabbing the small Terrors attention. "Light em up," he said as he dropped the last orb in the center of the company.

With a nod the Terror jumped off him and dived after the orb. Eyes narrowed it followed a few feet behind the orb as both fell toward the ground. Then preparing his fire he took a breath. Just as the orb crashed into the ground Sharpshot fired before opening his wings and swooping up and back into the sky. With Sharpshot's fire the liquid ignited and its flaming contents spread and ignited all that it covers, including the men and ground where the previous orbs had covered.

With that the men were all set ablaze as the substance, Monstrous Nightmare saliva, clung to the skin and clothed and burned them alive. Hiccup watched from the sky and felt sick at the sight of the burning the men alive. He knew what they would do to the Merida's people though, so he suppressed his sympathy for them. Then grabbing his shield off his back he strapped it to his right arm before preparing to take out their catapults.

Closing in, he transformed his shield into a crossbow before grabbing another orb. Loading it into the slingshot string he took aim. "Keep it steady bud," he said to Toothless who gave a growl in response. Then he fired hitting the wooden frame as intended and splattering the contents. Circling back he quickly clung to Toothless who performed a barrel roll to dodge income boulders and arrows. "Good job bud," he said in appreciation. Toothless nodded and increased his speed.

Taking aim again he shot his remaining orbs at the catapults with incredible precision and accuracy. With a chirp from Sharpshot coming up behind him he turned to the small Terror to issue his next orders. He point at each of the catapults with two fingers in quick succession.

Nodding in understanding the Terror passed over each of the catapults, and using his precise aim ignited the liquid with a small fire. With that ten of the invader catapults went up in flames, now useless. With the ground troops effectively crippled Hiccup turned his attention to the Viking ships still on the loch.

With an adjustment of the tailfin Toothless shot forward in a burst of speed at the ships. Prepared to end the battle.

* * *

Fergus, his daughter, and his men watched in amazement as the dragon and rider passed over the men and then set them all ablaze. Then he made several passes over their catapults before they too went up in flames. Merida had said this dragon and rider had come to help them. He couldn't help but feel a little afraid at what they were capable of. Shaking himself of his thoughts he ordered his soldiers to pick off the last of the men and take captives of they could. The men surged forward leaving the king, a few soldier, and his daughter.

Merida watched the battle unfold before her. She watched as Hiccup and Toothless passed over the men before somehow he set them on fire. She knew then that she had done the right thing in asking for his help. Just as she had suspected the man was a hero. He had chosen to go against his own people just because she had asked for his help. She couldn't help but be glad she had such an amazing friend.

Suddenly a soldier from behind snapped the pair from their thought. "Sir in the distance more ships approach!"

"Blast more raider?" Fergus asked in frustration.

"No sir, they appear to be…the clan Macintosh, Dingwall, and MacGuffin sir," the soldier said looking through his spy glass.

"Oh. Finally," Fergus cried in relief. Finally some allies he KNEW.

Merida paled. She nervously it her thumb thinking about what the allied clan might try to do to Hiccup. They didn't know he was helping them. She prayed to the powers that be that the two groups wouldn't attack each other.

* * *

Getting nearer to the ship he noticed more approaching. He noticed more approaching before taking a closer look and seeing that they weren't Viking ships. _Must be the allied clans_. Hiccup realized. Patting Toothless on the neck to get his attention the dragon turned his head toward him slightly.

"Alright bud we're gonna sink those raiders ship, but not those" he said pausing to point out at the approaching Scottish boats.

Toothless nodded in confirmation. Adjusting the tailfin he made Toothless gain altitude. Climbing to just the level of the clouds he pulled back on Toothless with his body wait to send him into a dive. Taking not of the lead vessel by the design on the sail he targeted the one around it first. Swooping in at great speed he gave Toothless the order to fire. Obliging the dragon shot his flame which punched a hole in the boat and sent it up in flames. Swooping passed he adjusted the tailfin to gain altitude again before he repeated the process four more times sinking all but the lead ship.

The Vikings who had seen the first ship go up in flames leapt off when they saw the dragon diving at their vessels. With that they were at the mercy of the Scottish ships making their way into the loch. While giving orders to the men, the lords watched in awe as what appeared to be a dragon swoop down and sink every one of the Vikings' vessels. At the last vessel the dragon actually spiraled down and landed on it.

While observing the ships from the air Hiccup quickly identified the leader. It wasn't too difficult, it would be the Viking with the largest horns and long fur cape. Making the decision to capture him and turn him over to King Fergus he had directed Toothless to land on the ship. At his landing a Viking rushed Toothless from behind to which Toothless knocked him over the side of the ship with his tail. Another approached form the right which Hiccup responded smacking him across the face with his shield and rendering him unconscious. A loyal soldier attempting to protect the chief rushed them from the front with his sword at the ready. Before lifting the sword above his head to strike a fireball hit him the face.

Looking up, Hiccup smiled at Sharpshot who descended down to land on Hiccup's shoulder growling at the man in front him and puffing some smoke out his nose in anger. The man in an attempt to put out the flames on his beard and clothes jumped over the side of the ship and in the loch.

With that he chief stood corner at the end of the ship with battle axe in hand. Clutching it in both hands and at the ready he stared the trio down trying his best to not look intimidated.

Snorting unimpressed Toothless used his last plasma blast and aimed it right at the point where the handle of the axe met the blade making it break. Now armed with a stick with one end smoldering ash the Viking threw it down and raised his hand above his head in surrender.

Lifting up his shield Hiccup shot a bola at the man ensnaring him and making him fall over on his side. Pointing to the man Toothless grabbed him with his four legs and with powerful wing beats lifted him off the deck of the ship. With a very unViking like scream Hiccup and Toothless gave a snort in amusement before heading back towards the shore with their prisoner in tow.

* * *

"The beast approaches," shouted a soldier.

Gazing at the direction of the loch he saw the black shape quickly approaching them. Nervously he waited as it got closer and closer. Finally reaching them he saw that a Viking bound in ropes was being held in the dragon's claws. The dragon stopped and began hovering above him and his men. With a yelp the dragon dropped the man onto the ground face first.

The Viking gave a groan in pain but seemed otherwise fine. Looking back up he saw the figure sitting on the dragon's back. A man covered in black armor with a helmet covering his face. On his arm was shimmering silver shield.

Locking eyes with Fergus the man spoke loudly, "This is their leader."

Breaking eye contact the man turned to look at Merida. Merida looked up at him with a smile. He returned the gesture with a nod before patting the dragon on the neck and flying off into the distance.

After watching him go Fergus turned to look at his daughter and saw her smiling after the man. Walking up to her he cleared his throat causing her to face him. Crossing his arms over his chest he raised an eyebrow at his daughter. "Alright lass. It's time you start talking."

Merida turned her gaze down knowing it was time to come clean. But she was convinced she made the right decision.

With conviction she raised her chin up with pride and gave her father a nod as she mentally prepared to tell her father everything.

* * *

**Ok everyone reading, hoped you enjoyed the chapter. I appreciate everyone who submitted a review of a name for the raiders and their leader and you'll see which I picked in the next chapter. Feel free to review and comment**

**On a side note I wanted to toss out two ideas for other fanfics I've been think about doing. **

**Ok one. HTTYD fanfic. Genderbend. Female Hiccup a.k.a Hicca disappears after her battle with the red death. She goes to japan where she spened six years training and becoming a ninja. Then she returns home in Berk's hour of need and uses her new ninja skills to save them. Thoughts? Oh and I realize vikings and ninja didn't exist in the same time periods but it's a story. Also what would be the name of her ninja master.**

**Second idea. Two parter. Hiccup - male - dissapears after attle with red death and goes to japan. There he helps the ruling shogun solve the land's dragon problem. **

**Sequel - in honor of his success at solving their dragon problem Hiccup is made a honorary samurai after six years of training. Then he retunrs to Berk in their hour of need and etc... What would be Hiccup's japanese name?**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 9: The Dragon Conqueror**

Merida looked into the stunned faces of her parents in front of her as they tried to process her story. After returning to the castle and waiting for the other lords and their sons to join them, Merida explained how she knew Hiccup (leaving out the part where the wisps had led her to him). All around the main hall the room was silent as the monarchs, lords, and clan members took in all the information. Merida tried her best not to fidget under the gaze of everyone in the room.

Finally Fergus broke the silence. "That man on the dragon was a Viking?" He asked slowly.

Merida nodded and replied with a firm, "Aye dad."

Fergus paused for a second. Then in rage he shouted, "And you were hiding him! What were you thinking lass?" He cried at his daughter.

Merida met her father's eyes before answering, "He's my friend dad. He's not bad."

"He's a Viking lass. They're ALL bad," said Lord Macintosh from her right.

With that a collective murmur of agreement was heard from around the room.

Fergus approached Merida at his wits end. Stopping right in front of her and looking down to her he asked with a serious expression and tone, "Alright lass where is he?"

"Ah can't tell you dad. I promised I wouldn't reveal him," She said holding her father's gaze.

"Merida, this is serious. He's a Viking. With that beast of his he could turn the kingdom to ash. You need to tell me where he is," her father said seriously.

"Ah gave him my word da. I can't tell you," she said resolutely.

Fergus was starting to lose his patience at his daughter's lack of compliance. He needed to find this man. This Viking. For all he knew the man could be scouting the land in preparation for war. He couldn't understand why his daughter was so naïve as to believe he wasn't a threat.

"Your father is right princess. For all we know he's trying to get secrets from you by taking advantage of your knowledge as royalty," said lord Dingwall gruffly, echoing King Fergus's thoughts.

"He's not. He doesn't know I'm the princess. And I know he doesn't want to attack the land, if his intentions were hostile he would've killed me when we first met," she argued.

Her father huffed in irritation at his daughter's resistance. Just as he was about to continue questioning her guard came into the room and kneeled before Fergus.

"My king, the prisoners refuse to speak," the guard said.

"Have you told them they could be killed if they don't comply?" Fergus asked.

"Yes sir, they still refuse to talk," the guard answered.

"Well do they say anything?" Fergus asked starting to get irritated.

"They murmur something among themselves sir…'dragon conqueror', I believe they say," the guard said unsure.

"They must be speaking about the Viking with the dragon," Elinor said speaking up for the first time.

Fergus groaned before addressing the guard, "Keeping working on them. We need to know if we should be expecting more raids or if another war with the Viking is on the horizon. Go."

The guard nodded before leaving the room. Fergus turned back to his daughter. He loved his little girl more than anything in the world. But he never wanted to strangle her more in his entire life. Plus there was the possibility of war on the horizon and it was wearing on his mind. Rubbing his eyes with his thumb and forefinger he was about to ask Merida the man's location once more before a hand on his shoulder stopped him.

Turning to face his wife she saw that she had a look of inspiration on her face. Raising an eyebrow at her in inquiry she spoke, "Dear perhaps we can ask the man to help us. To speak with raiders."

Raising his eyebrows in surprise he couldn't believe what he was hearing. Now his wife wanted to work with the Viking. Seeing his confusion Elinor calmly pressed on, "As Merida explained, he is the son of a chieftain. He may be able to identify the tribe the raiders belong to and tell us their approximate size. Plus love, he obviously has no hostile intention. He attacked the raiders, if he was with them or was against us in any way he could've joined them or simply done nothing at all."

Merida smiled at her mother's tactful mind. She was glad her mother could see Hiccup's actions as what they were without questioning a hidden motive. She understood her father's and lord's prejudices towards Vikings, but was irritated that they could believe that someone willing to fight against his own people and save them could possibly want to do them harm.

Hearing his wife's reasoning, Fergus relented. His wife's words always got to him. It was one of the reasons why they were a good match. Fergus was a warrior using weapons and force to make his way through life. Elinor was scholar and diplomat who used reason and tact to solve her problems. With a nod he turned back to address Merida.

"Alright lass tell me where he is," Fergus said.

Merida looked in her father's eyes but refused to budge. "Ah can't dad ah promised."

Just as Fergus was about to shout at Merida for her stubbornness Elinor quickly cut in, "Then perhaps you can go get him and bring him here." She finished her statement calmly before looking to her husband who had a concerned expression on his face. Obviously he was wary of letting Merida go to retrieve the Viking.

Sensing his apprehension she explained her reasoning, "Obviously he trusts Merida. Maybe she can convince him to cooperate with us as she did before." She looked back at Merida to see if the plan was acceptable to her.

Merida thought about it for a moment. She supposed this plan was as good as any. She understood the need for them to know if they should be prepared for war. She nodded in agreement before a thought crossed her mind. Looking to her father she took a breath before addressing him, "I'll do it. I'll go get him. But only on one condition."

Her father raised an eyebrow. She was pushing her luck, she knew. But Hiccup was her friend, and she promised herself she would protect him. Locking eyes with her father she continued, "You have to swear that when he arrives you or your men won't harm him, his dragon, and you won't imprison him." She paused before quickly adding the next part, "The lords too."

There was an uproar all around them as the lord shouted their disagreement to her terms. Her father silenced them before addressing her, "Really Merida, is this necessary?" He asked in disbelief.

"Yes. I won't bring him here just so he can killed or put in chains. So I want you to swear on your honor as king and lords that nothing will happen to him or his dragons," she said loud enough to address the whole room.

She looked into the eyes of her father challengingly. Fergus could tell his daughter was not going to back down on this. Knowing she could be as stubborn as a mule, he relented and swore to her terms. After grumbling and some shouting the other lords swore to her terms as well.

Satisfied she ordered guards to follow her and led them to the stables. Mounting Angus and with the guards on their own horses she set off towards the lone mountain where Hiccup was.

* * *

After leaving the castle she led the guards to the northern plains. At the plains she dismounted Angus and instructed them to lead him back to the castle while she continued on alone. At this they were confused and asked if she wasn't going to be riding back with them.

She turned away before responding, "No, I won't be riding him back, I'll be flying back." She said the last part with a smile under her breath.

She made her way to the mountain alone and climbed up the wall at it base. Walking up the slope, she stopped in her tracks as she hearda snapping sound above her. Looking up she yelped and fell down on her butt as Toothless leapt down from the trees landing above her with a menacing snarl on his face and slitted black eyes.

"No wait, Toothless stop, it's me Merida," she quickly stammered out.

Upon recognizing her voice Toothless stopped and his eyes changed to the friendly black orbs as he cocked his head and crooned.

She blew out a breath in relief and smiled up at the black dragon. It gave a gummy grin before opening its mouth and licking her face and covering her in saliva. "Ack! Toothless get off me," she said unpleased as she pushed against the dragon's head to get him off.

The dragon warbled in a laugh before allowing her to get up. Merida immediately got up and began wiping her face with her dress sleeves. She glared at the dragon disapprovingly but it only responded with a gummy grin. Not being able to stay mad at the dragon she sighed in defeat before wrapping her arms around its head in a hug. "Thank ye ya big lug. You saved me. Ah owe you my life," she whispered to Toothless.

Toothless crooned and rumbled in her arms. Pulling back she smiled at the dragon and it nuzzled her face with his. Then he turned around and began walking up the slope. Turning his head he glanced back at Merida and motioned with his head to follow.

She complied and they made their way to the meadow. Entering and going left she saw Hiccup with his back to her as he was moving around putting his things into bags. A few feet away Toothless stopped and warbled at him to get his attention.

Turning to face them, his eyes widened though his helmet as he noticed Merida. "Oh hey Merida," he said nervously.

Merida heard his greeting but looked around and noticed the stated of the camp. Everything was packed away and the tent was gone. Coming to a realization she clenched her fists and glared at Hiccup.

Hiccup noticed her glare and took a nervous step back.

She stalked towards him holding her glare with her hands in fists at her side. Reaching him she looked up into his eyes as he fidgeted nervously. Then she punched him in the arm. Hard.

"Ouch," Hiccup yelped. Rubbing his arm, he looked at Merida and was about to demand an explanation when she punched him again in the same spot.

"You were just gonna leave without saying goodbye?" she cried angrily.

Stepping back in surprise he quickly answered, "What no." Then he turned his gaze to his feet and rubbed the back of his helmeted head, "Maybe." After a pause he sagged his shoulders and sighed in defeat, "Ok, yes."

She punched him again at his answer, and in the exact same spot as before.

"By the frickin gods Merida, that hurts!" he cried while rubbing his arm.

She 'hmped' before glaring at him again. "How could you do that? We're supposed to be friends," she said placing her hand on her hips.

"Look Merida I have to go. Now the Scots know I'm here. And that means we're in danger. I have to leave," he argued.

"About that Hiccup," she said remembering what she was here for. She paused and began fiddling with her hand before looking into his eyes before explaining, "I need you to come to the castle with me. The raiders aren't giving us answers and we need to know if we should be preparing for more raids and possibly war."

"What, no way Merida. I think I've done enough. This is asking me to walk into the lion's den," he said shaking his head vigorously.

"I know Hiccup. And I wouldn't ask this of you if it wasn't important. Please," she said hand clasped together pleadingly. At his hesitation she pressed on, "The king and lords of the allied clans have sworn that they won't harm or imprison you."

Hiccup took in the new information and mulled it over. He knew that it was possible that there was another force. He understood their desire to want to be prepared. But going straight to the castle could be his and his companion's death. He looked at Merida and she was patiently waiting for his answer. He trusted her. He knew she wouldn't lead him into a situation he might die in on purpose.

With a sigh he relented. "Alright Merida. But only because I trust you."

She smiled and said her thanks as he readied Toothless. Calling out for Sharpshot the small dragon came out of a tree and perched on his shoulder. After staring at him for a moment Hiccup shifted some stuff around in saddlebag and placed Sharpshot in, telling the Terror to stay hidden until he called for him. The Terror nodded before making itself comfortable and settling down. Finally feeling prepared he turned to Merida.

"Alright I think we're set why don't you head back to the castle and tell them I'll arrive in about an hour," he told her.

Merida grinned mischievously. Trying to contain her excitement she said, "Actually I was thinking I would fly back to the castle with you and Toothless."

Hiccup raised an eyebrow behind his helmet.

Elaborating Merida continued, "In case one guards has a twitchy bow arm, if they see one of their own on the dragon they won't attack." This was partially the truth. It was a little added insurance to ensure that Hiccup wouldn't be shot down. But she would be lying if she said she didn't want fly on Toothless.

Hiccup mulled it over and saw her reasoning as sound. With a quick look to Toothless to see if he was fine with it the dragon gave an affirmative huff. With a shrug he nodded his consent.

Merida squealed in excitement. She was going to fly on Toothless. She had been wanting to for a while now. She had been working up the nerve to ask Hiccup if he would take her flying for some time. Finally she would get to feel what it was like.

Stepping aside Hiccup mounted Toothless before he held out his arm to her. Practically buzzing with excitant she readily took the arm and climbed up behind him.

Hiccup shuddered a little as Merida pressed herself against him and wrapped surprisingly strong arms around his waist. The closeness mad him slightly nervous. As she placed her chin on his shoulder and he looked into her eyes he couldn't help but blush and was glad he was wearing a helmet.

"Uh…uhm are you ready?" he asked stammering.

"Yes," Merida said with a smile.

Facing forward he leaned down to whisper into Toothless's ear, "Alright bud easy does it today. No showboating."

Toothless whined in disappointment but complied with a huff.

Then crouching down he opened his wings and leapt into the air. Beating his wings steadily he rose before levelling out and soaring from the mountain.

Merida suppressed shriek of surprise as Toothless took off. She fell like her stomach had been behind on the ground and initially shut her eyes tight before squeezing Hiccup around the middle. After of few moments of Toothless's initial climbing he leveled out and she opened her eyes.

And she instantly knew that flying would forever be one of the greatest experiences of her life. Laughing at the thrill she gave a 'woohoo' in happiness and looked at the land she had always known in a new light.

* * *

In the main hall of castle Dunbroch Fergus and the other lord anxiously awaited the return of the princess. Fergus was pacing in front of the throne while Elinor sat and watched him with head up and patiently awaiting her daughter's return. Fergus and the other lords were starting to question whether allowing her go to alone was the best idea.

The younger lords all waited besides their father and wondered what the young princess had gotten into. They all knew the princess had always been rebellious, but this was never expected. Merida was fiercely loyal to the kingdom, so defending the enemy was completely out of character for her.

Their pensive silence was interrupted as a soldier burst in through the main doors. "My king, the dragon is coming. We see it in the distance."

Shaking off his thought her rushed out to the main courtyard with his wife, lord, and men in tow. Outside Fergus scanned the sky and noticed the black shape approaching. Then the dragon reach the castle and began circling. On its back he saw the Viking and on a second glance he saw…

"Merida," he shouted at his daughter.

She was riding the dragon. She was clinging to the rider from behind as he finally chose a spot to land, an empty guard tower overlooking the courtyard. The dragon, now perched on the tower looked down at them.

"Merida get down form that dragon this instant," Fergus yelled with worry. He couldn't help but feel afraid as his daughter sat atop the Viking's beast. She could fall off or the damned thing could attack her. Or heaven forbid the Viking decide to fly off with her hostage.

Atop Toothless Merida looked down at her parents, lords, and clansmen. She rolled her eyes at her father's overprotectiveness. She was safe on Toothless. Neither Hiccup nor Toothless would let anything bad happen to her or harm her.

"I'm fine dad. No need to worry. But before we come down I want you to swear that you or your men will harm Hiccup and Toothless. The lords too," she shouted.

Fergus scoffed and threw his hands up in frustration, "Oh for goodness sake Merida, I already swore to that. We all did."

"Well say it again so Hiccup can hear you," she replied back insistent.

Taking a breath he relented. "Ok fine. I swear on my honor as the king that neither my men nor I will harm 'Hiccup' or his dragon."

The lords followed his example and with a satisfied nod she whispered to Hiccup, "See Hiccup nothing to worry about."

But Hiccup had all but stopped listening. His brain had frozen at the one word Merida had said. It was what she had called the red haired giant wearing the bear skin cape.

_Dad_!? Whipping back to face Merida with eyes wide in surprise he yelled, "DAD?!"

Merida cringed slightly, just now remembering Hiccup still didn't know she was the princess.

"Your dad is the king!? You're a princess?" Hiccup shouted in surprise.

She smiled sheepishly before replying shyly, "Oh…uh yeah. Did I not mention that?"

"You most certainly did not. Was this ever going to come up?!" Hiccup yelled.

She narrowed her eyes at him. What was the big deal? So she had just neglected to mention she was the princess. She was still the same person. "Don't give me that. YOU still haven't even shown me your face," she reminded him.

His mouth fell agape before he closed it. Was she seriously comparing the two? "You being frickin ROYALTY places WAY higher in priority than my face!"

She just gave him a shrug in response. She didn't think it was a big deal.

Turning forward he brought a hand up to his helmet. "Oh man, the gods must be laughing at me. I'm so gonna be executed, may as well say goodbye to my head now. I got the princess of Scotland, on a dragon, at the top of a tower, while her father and an army are ready to kill me. Oh the god just lov…"

He was interrupted by Merida who slapped him on the back of the helmet. He turned to glare at her though the mask but his face fell when he saw her warm and gentle smile. Her eyes were so full of good intention and trust that he couldn't stay mad at her. Turning back with a sigh he looked down and saw everyone waiting patiently for him to descend.

Patting Toothless on the head he whispered in his ear for him to land. Opening his wing Toothless jumped down form the tower and glided down before flapping slightly to land with a bump a few feet before the king. Looking around nervously, he noticed that almost everyone in the courtyard was holding a weapon. _Just great. _Under him he could feel Toothless growling lowly. With his Teeth bared, Toothless glanced around at the men surrounding them with weapons and tensed. He didn't like the situation at all.

Around them men were both frightened and amazed at the sight of Toothless. Up close they could just see how powerful the dragon was. All of them watched tensely hoping that the beast wouldn't just lunge and start attacking them.

Merida could feel the tension in the room. She dismounted Toothless quickly and went to her father. She watched as he seemed to look her over for injuries before pulling her into a tight hug.

Fergus hugged his daughter in relief that she was ok. Then he turned his gaze toward the man dismounting and standing in front of the dragon. Up close the man was quite tall. But having encountered Vikings before, he found the man quite scrawny. Releasing his daughter he slowly approached the man.

At the king's approach Toothless tensed and started to growl. Turning his head slightly he whispered just loud enough for Toothless to hear, "Easy bud. Let's not give them a reason to attack." At that Toothless stopped growling and closed his mouth but continued to glare at the king. Turning back to the king he was reminded immediately of his father. Like his father the man was large (though not as large as Stoick), had red hair, and had an air of authority about him. Of course his dad wouldn't be caught dead wearing the green and scarlet patterned skirt that the Scots called 'kilts'.

As the king stood directly in front of him he noticed that he was only about half a head shorter than the king. The king however seemed to be looking down at him like he was bunny. Hiccup had to try his hardest not to fidget under the man's gaze. He just stood there looking into the man's eyes as he waited for him to speak.

"So you're the Viking then?" Fergus said while crossing his arms over his chest. "Kinda scrawny for a Viking ain't ya laddie?" A collective chuckle was heard throughout the courtyard at the king's jab.

Hiccup sighed. Though he could trade jabs with the best of them, he knew he had to hold his tongue. He was in this man's kingdom, as a trespasser, and thus the man had every right to execute him. Better not to rile him up. Hiccup simply answer with a shrug and said, "Yeah. I get that a lot."

Looking him up and down, Fergus frowned at the boy's face. "Take off the helmet Viking," he said firmly.

"Is that really necessary your highness?" Hiccup asked, as far as he knew he was just coming to interview and try to identify the raider. He didn't see why he needed to take his helmet off.

"Yes it is. Merida has vouched for you and against my better judgment I'm giving you a chance. But it's hard to trust a man when you can't see his face," Fergus replied.

Seeing some reason behind the king's words he looked to Toothless. The dragon and man exchanged a look before Toothless gave an affirmative nod. Looking back to the king he sighed and placed both hands on the side of his helmet.

Merida had quietly come to stand behind her father. She felt only a little bad at her father having Hiccup remove his helmet. But she didn't say anything because deep down she was dying to know what he looked like. Watching anxiously as Hiccup slowly began to remove his helmet she shook with anticipation.

Taking off his helmet and running a hand though his hair to fix it he looked up at the king then glanced over at Merida and smiled awkwardly.

Merida blushed red and brought her hand over her mouth to suppress as gasp. Hiccup was quite…handsome, she thought to herself. She just continued to stare at him as her father continued to address him and catch his attention.

"So then Viking. Tell me, why did you help us?" Seeing the young man raise an eyebrow she decided to elaborate. "You may not be of the same tribe, but you still have more in common with them than us."

Hiccup stared at the king for a moment turning to Merida slightly and giving her a crooked grin. Then turning back to the king he simply said, "A friend asked me to help so I did. Plus, it just felt like the right thing to do." He finished with a shrug.

Satisfied with his answer the king nodded. "This way then lad. The prisoners are in the dungeon," pausing he pointed to Toothless. "Your dragon will have to stay here though. The dungeon are too small for him."

Hiccup nodded before turning to Merida. "Merida can you stay here and watch Toothless," he asked.

Merida chastised herself for not being able to look him in the eyes without blushing. She gave him a nod.

He gave her a smile in appreciation before he turned to Toothless and put his hand on his snout. He exchanged a look with him telling him that he would return. Turning back to the king he motioned for him to lead the way and then followed after him.

The other lords filed in behind him. Not comfortable with this Viking being alone with their king.

Feeling utterly surrounded he kept his eyes glued to the king's back and followed him into the castle.

* * *

Inside the dungeon the, Hiccup, Fergus, and the lords were all inside the cell that held the raider's leader. When Hiccup entered the man looked at him and his eyes widened in recognition before turning his gaze down to the ground.

The man was wrapped with chains around his torso. His ankles were also bound with chains linking the ankle cuffs. He was sitting cross legged and refused to speak. He was a typical Viking. He was large bodied, muscular, covered in old battle scars. He had medium long black hair that was tied in a single braid going down his to his neck. He had stubble on his face with a goatee. In his left cheek he had a vertical scar.

Hiccup looked down at the man while running the things Fergus had told him in his mind. They had used a saboteur beforehand to gain an edge for the battle. That wasn't a typical Viking tactic, since they were mostly a direct approach kind of people. That limited the identity of the tribe down significantly but he didn't want to jump to conclusions.

Stepping toward the man's right side he reached for the man's shoulder and pulled the man's sleeve up. Then, on the man's upper bicep he saw a tattoo. Taking a closer look he tried to make out what the tattoo depicted. _A rat?_ He thought to himself. He ran though his internal library of tribe symbols. None immediately came to mind. But he couldn't help but feel that he had seen or heard of it somewhere.

Finally he remembered a story of a tribe that matched the tactics described and tattoo.

"The Vile Vermin?" He whispered quietly.

At that, the man raised his head up to look him in the eyes.

"Oh so you've heard of us then?" he said looking proud.

"I HEARD that you guys were wiped out a little over ten years ago," he said crossing his arms over his chest and coming to stand in front of the man.

"So you know them then lad?" King Fergus asked from behind him.

Not turning around Hiccup answered, "Yeah, they were thieves that would steal from other tribes. Some of the tribes banded together and attacked. Wiping them out. I didn't know there were any survivors."

"Oh we survived lad. There were few of us so we moved to the very borders of Viking territory. We've been trying to slowly rebuild before we returned to our home island and our former glory," he said with a sneer.

"Is that so?" Hiccup started slowly. "So who are you then? You don't match the description of the old leader, Olaf the Scourge."

"That's cuz I'm not," the man said raising his head up proudly. "I am Bloodguts the Vile, grandson of Olaf the Scourge, son of Vernon the Vicious, and current chief of the Vile Vermin."

"Congratulations," Hiccup said sarcastically.

"Oh and I know who you are 'Dagon Conqueror'. We hear whispers of you from the other tribes who live at the borders of Vikings waters." He gave Hiccup a sneer, "Quite the legend you are," Bloodguts paused to clear his throat like he was preparing to tell a story. "'A Hero to friends and a Harbinger to foes. On the mount that is one with darkness, his sword shines hope and blazes destruction. He is Hiccup the dragon conqueror, the first dragon rider, the death slayer, and the demon of the archipelago' " he finished with a smirk.

The lords and Fergus all stared wide eyed at the young man. Could this young man truly be so dangerous? Could a scrawny man like this really have earned himself such a famous reputation?

Hiccup only rolled his eyes at the monikers others placed on him. He hated being called by all those names. He was simply himself. A dragon trainer, not some hero or boogeyman man haunting the waters of him home.

Leaning forward Bloodguts motioned for Hiccup to bend down. Deciding to humor the man he did. "Say lad, why don't you team up with us? With us and your dragon we could have anything. You have more in common with us than their lot," he said shifting his eyes to the lords behind him and spitting the last part. "Think about it. I even hear they have a princess. Said to be the jewel of Scotland. She can be all yours. You wouldn't even have to share her unless you wanted to," he said evilly.

Fergus who had caught the last part about his daughter bristled. Clenching his fist he walked toward the man with the intent on beating him near the end of his life. But abruptly stopped when Hiccup beat him to it.

Cocking back his fist at the man' comment on Merida, Hiccup swung it across the man's face with enough force to nearly know the man unconscious. Tasting blood in his mouth he glowered up at Hiccup and then spit blood at his feet.

Hiccup beginning to lose patience, grabbed the man by the throat and forced him to look up into his eyes. Hiccup saw the slight look of fear in the man's eyes and smiled, "How many more men do you have?"

The man refused to answered and just glared back.

"Don't feel like talking huh?" Hiccup then gave his best evil smile. "Maybe you'll feel more compliant while my dragon is eating you."

The man's eyes widened and his face paled. Then he narrowed his eyes and through grit teeth said, "You're bluffing."

"Am I?" Hiccup challenged coolly. "I mean sure normally I feed my dragon fish. You know, I don't want to spoil him with human meat. But oh will he be happy having you for dinner," then pausing he looked to the bound men in the next cell before smiling wickedly. "Maybe he'll start off with one of your cronies as an appetizer."

Hoping his bluff would be effective, Hiccup was not disappointed.

"No wait I'll talk. There are no more of us. We are small which is why we were hoping to capture slave wives here to build up our number," one of the men yelled frantically.

"SHUT UP YOU—," Bloodguts started to yell.

"To Hel with you Bloodguts, I'll not be a dragon's dinner. Just please don't feed me to your beast," the man practically begged.

Smiling in victory Hiccup released his hold on Bloodguts who looked up at him darkly. Turning back the lords he asked, "Got what you needed?"

The other lords nodded and walked out of the cell. Leaving Bloodguts scowling angrily after them utterly defeated.

Fergus directed a soldier to try and collect more answers from the man who had spoken and a few others if he could. Walking through the halls leading out of the dungeons with Fergus ahead with Hiccup and the lords tailing behind, Fergus abruptly stopped and turned to face Hiccup.

Raising an eyebrow he had to ask, "Hiccup was that—," He began and was cut off as Hiccup guessed what he going to ask and answered.

"A total bluff yes," he said with a nod.

Fergus just seemed to stare at Hiccup for a few moments. As if searching for something on his face. Then he suddenly burst out laughing. Hiccup eyes widened in surprise as he just stood there. Behind him the other lords all burst into laughter as well. Then Fergus reached out an arm and shoved Hiccup on his right should nearly causing to fall over. Then he draped a huge arm across Hiccup's shoulder.

Finally getting his laughter under control he wiped away a tear. Turning to Hiccup with a friendly smile plastered on his face he said, "Oh lad, you're alright. Ah'm sorry for doubting ya. Ah just couldn't be too careful you know?"

"Oh it no problem your majesty, I understand," he said with a nod and a smile.

The other lords then walked up beside Hiccup and the king.

"We're sorry too lad," said lord Macintosh.

"Oh aye lad," agreed lord Dingwall.

"Past grievances you know," added lord MacGuffin.

Hiccup nodded to all of them and smiled. They seemed to rust him now. He was glad for that. Maybe he could get them all to trust Toothless too.

Fergus then spoke to him, "By the way lad, I've been meaning to ask how you lost your leg?" Fergus said looking down at Hiccup's prosthetic.

"It was a dragon," he replied nonchalantly.

Fergus smiled at that. "Sounds like quite the story. I have quite the story of my own," he said sticking his peg leg out in front of them.

"Oh here we go," groaned lord Macintosh.

Just as Hiccup was about to tell him he knew the story Fergus pulled him closer and jumped right in, "So it was Merida's sixth birthday. All was going fine. Then, out of nowhere…"

Hiccup could tell there was no stopping the man so he let him talk on. Things had gone more smoothly than he could have ever imagined. The king liked him, he was able to help them, and he wasn't going to be executed.

_Yep things are definitely looking up._

* * *

Outside in the courtyard, Toothless sat on his haunches staring at the door that the king had led Hiccup through with is tail thrashing violently back and forth. He was anxious for Hiccup to return. In a castle full of enemies he didn't like being separated from his friend. Next to him Merida was stroking his head in an attempt to keep him calm. He was glad for her company. He liked her. He also trusted her.

Merida stood by Toothless's side and also waited for her father to return with Hiccup. She trusted her father to keep his word, but she couldn't help but feel a little nervous. If something bad happened to Hiccup it would be all her fault. The though of betraying her one true friend made her stomach clench in guilt.

Standing a few feet to the side Elinor watched her daughter nervously as she stood right next to the beast. Taking a step forward she stopped when the dragon's eyes shifted to her and he bared his teeth.

Merida noticed her mom's attempt to approach halted by Toothless and lightly smacked him on the head. "Toothless, that just my mum," she chastised the dragon.

Toothless just kept his eyes on the woman but covered his teeth.

"Merida step away from the dragon," her mother said nervously.

Merida just rolled her eyes. "Mum Toothless won' harm me. He' harmless as long as you don't threaten him. See watch," Merida said before throwing her arms around Toothless's neck. The dragon gave a rumbling purr at the gesture, momentarily distracted from his thoughts of Hiccup.

Having been watching from a distance her brothers rushed forward when they saw her hug the dragon. Ignoring their mother's protests they rushed and stood right in front of the dragon.

Toothless eyes widened in surprise as three of the same person stood in front of him.

The boys' eyes widened in amazement as they ogled the dragon. Then they looked at their sister in admiration at being so close to the beast. "Wow sis, you're friends with a dragon?" Harris said in wonder.

Merida stood up straight and with hands on hips and head held high she answered, "Yes ah am. Toothless and I are very close. Aren't we Toothless?" She said proudly looking at the dragon.

The dragon warbled in agreement before licking her lightly on the cheek.

She giggled and smiled before looking down at her brothers with a satisfied smile. Looking over at her mother she was pleased to see that she was a bit more relaxed. Deciding to win Toothless some points with her mother she told her brothers to stand over by her, promising to show them some tricks. They complied in excitement and rushed to their mother's side. Gesturing for Toothless to stay she walked over to stand by her mother.

"Watch this mum," she said looking at her mom before turning back to Toothless. "Toothless," she said loudly to get the dragon's attention. When she had it, she touched the corner of her mouth and dragged it over her lips to the opposite side.

Recognizing the hand signal for 'smile', Toothless flashed them a gummy grin. Her mother smiled and laughed lightly at the dragon rendition of a smile. Her brothers laughed in delight as well. Even some of the guards also chuckled at Toothless's face.

"Harris go get a broom," she ordered her brother.

Hesitating for a moment the boy ran off to find a broom. Returning a few moments later with broom in hand, he presented it to Merida. Merida took it before walking over to Toothless and poking at the ground with her feet. When a small nitch was made in the dirt she planted the broom handle in the ground and walked back to her mother.

"Toothless," she said again to get the dragon's attention. When he turned his head towards her, she pointed to the broom before pointing down to the ground in the signal for 'plasma blast'. Toothless recognized the motion and shot a small burst of flame at the broom's bristles.

Her mothers, brothers, and guards gasped in surprise at the sudden action but then clapped in amazement at the show of Toothless's intelligence. To her delight everyone seemed to relax more now that they saw that Toothless wasn't some mindless creature who would jump at the chance to kill someone. Then she saw the lord's sons clapping and looking thoroughly impressed at her demonstration. She decided to demonstrate a few more tricks to lower the tension some more. She did the signal, 'wings', 'tail raise', and 'hover' before Fergus, Hiccup, and the other lords emerged from the door.

To her surprise they were all laughing as her father had an arm draped across Hiccup's shoulder in a friendly gesture. It looked as though her father approved of the young man now. Walking over she inquired as to what happened.

With a smile, Fergus embraced his daughter before taking a breath and addressing the crowd, "There are no more raiders. Thanks to Hiccup, we have discovered that we have captured the entire company. We are in no danger and Hiccup is to be treated as an honored guest along with his dragon!" Fergus shouted to the crowd. A shout of approval and victory went up thought the crowd.

At Hiccup's suggestion he would keep a watch on the loch and the lord's agreed to help if another group did happen to show up. Additionally Hiccup informed them that as a chieftain's son he would've heard about the tribe's banding together to start another war and put their mind at ease that there was none on the horizon.

Merida threw her arms around Hiccup to show her appreciation for all he had done. When she pulled back he was giving her a strange look. She cocked an eyebrow in inquiry and asked, "Is something wrong Hiccup?"

Hiccup paused a moment before raising his hand up to point at her, "You turned you mom into a bear to get out being married?"

She blushed in embarrassment. Obviously her father had told him the complete story of Mor'du. As she was about to defend herself her father stepped forward.

"Say Hiccup why don't you join us for a feast to celebrate our victory. We'll even feed your dragon any meat he desires," Fergus said with a wide smile.

Hiccup looked at Toothless who licked his chops excitedly after hearing Fergus's offer. Hiccup hesitated for a moment which caused Merida to grab his hand. He blushed a little at the contact and looked at her.

"Oh come on Hiccup stay for the feast. Please," she said with puppy dog eyes.

Trying to pry his eyes away he failed miserably. He was mesmerized by her sky blue eyes and with a sigh turned to Fergus, "Ok we'll stay for dinner."

Letting out a hearty chuckle he slapped Hiccup on the back. Hard. He failed to notice Hiccup grimace in pain and almost fall over. "Excellent lad. So what should we get your dragon then?" He asked.

"He likes fish but watching him eat them is not for the faint of heart," he said looking at Fergus.

Fergus gave a nod in understanding before pointing at a guard. "You, lead Hiccup to the back entrance of the kitchen. Get the staff to bring him a basket of fish for the dragon." The guard nodded before motioning for Hiccup to follow.

Noticing his hand still in Merida's he looked at her shyly and shifted his eyes down to their hands.

Realizing she was still holding on to his hand she dropped it before turning away with a blush. With a cough Hiccup thanked Fergus before following the guard and motioning for Toothless to join him. With that she turned to watch the pair being led around the corner to the back entrance of the kitchen.

"Alright then everyone inside! There will be and drink a plenty as we celebrate our victory. And come tomorrow we'll also have the celebration of the anniversary of our alliance and the formation of our great kingdom!" Fergus shouted jovially.

With that she draped his arm wound his daughter's soldier and led everyone inside the main hall.

Merida smiled to herself. She was happy that everything had worked out. Hiccup had saved them like she hoped he would. Her father had come to accept the boy and he was no longer in danger of being killed. Her kingdom was safe from attack and her friend no longer had to hide.

With a smile she enjoyed the moment and walked with her father inside to celebrate her personal success considering herself lucky to have come by such a wonderful friend.

* * *

**So i hope this chapter was enjoyable. Thank you to everyone who gave me name ideas. I hope their involvement in the story satisfied you. **

**Special props to the guest reviewer who actually made the little legend that the vikings know hiccup by. Hope you don't mind the copy and paste and i hope i ended it with a good series of titles. **

**feel free to review**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 10: The Decision**

Following the guard around the castle Hiccup thought about all the things he had done since coming to Scotland. He had helped save the land belonging to his people most hated, befriended a Scottish princess, and was now being invited as a guest of honor to a Scottish king. It seemed almost ludicrous. The gods must be laughing at the face of it all, surely. Reaching the back entrance the guard told him to wait outside. Complying with a nod he waited.

A few moments later the guard return with a large basket of fish and handed it to Hiccup. Hiccup thanked the guard and proceeded to dump the contents on the ground in front of Toothless. He watched as Toothless enthusiastically wolfed down the fish biting off fish head as he went. The sight of Toothless horrid eating habits was no longer made him squeamish. Turning to look at the guard, he seemed a little green at the sight.

"Yeah it definitely not pretty. You can go inside I can find my way to the main entrance," he told the guard.

The guard nodded and hurried off before he blew chunks. Chuckling as he went he leaned against the wall of the castle while Toothless finished his dinner. He started to contemplate his next course of action. His plan had all but gone up in smoke now. No doubt that the villagers were all gossiping about him. A dragon in this land was sure to be the biggest new of the century. He wondered if he should leave. He didn't want to be honest. While he loved traveling he liked to have somewhere to return where people would welcome him. Where he could sleep in a bed of his own with a roof over his head. That's always what Berk had been to him.

Not wanting to worry about it for now he decided to enjoy the moment and celebrate with his new friends. Or friend, that is. Looking to Toothless as he gulped down the last of the fish he asked, "You good bud?"

Toothless rumbled in pleasure at being full of fish and licked his chop. Smiling at his friend he reached out and scratched his chin. Toothless purred in delight and leaned into his touch. He looked Hiccup in the eyes and smiled. Happy that they were around friendly people again.

Hiccup smiled at his friend before rubbing his head and walking back to the front entrance of the main hall. Stopping outside the big double doors he paused as he heard the people inside. _Sounds like a party._ He thought to himself as he listened to the commotion. Taking a breath he pushed open the doors and walked in. Once inside and allowing toothless to move passed him he shut the doors. Turning around to look at the Scots he found that they were all staring at him.

He tried not to fidget under the scrutiny as he took in all the faces. Most were friendly but he could see some dark looks peppered in. He guessed he couldn't expect all people to immediately trust him and overlook his origins. He was still in enemy land after all. Toothless didn't seem bothered by the crowds gaze though. Seeing a fireplace he made his way through the rows of benches set up and curled up in front of it. Feeling abandoned by his companion Hiccup was forced to bear the gazes everyone by himself and stood there unsure of where he should take a seat.

Luckily someone decided to saved him from his uncomfortableness and shouted for him. "Hiccup!" He heard Merida's voice shout and saw her waving at him from a bench near the thrones. With an internal sigh in relief he walked between the rows and to where she was seated.

At the bench she was seated Merida had saved the young man a seat right. At the table was her parents, her siblings, the lords, and their sons. Reaching her, he gave her a smile before sitting down. With him seated she prepared him a plate. She filled it with bread, a turkey leg, some cooked vegetables, and piece of haggis.

Hiccup just sat their as Merida started fixing him a plate. Seeing and smelling all the food Hiccup finally realized that he was starving. He'd only eaten a small breakfast in the morning and after the events of the battle hadn't had time to go hunting. At his right were the triplets all staring at him with wonder. Across the bench directly in front of him were three young men he surmised to be the lords' sons since they looked very similar to their father's. All of them were giving him a look he could only describe as challenging, except for the young Dingwall, who was staring off into space. The looks he could only describe as a look a warrior had when he wanted to test himself against a rival. To his left was Merida and seated next to her was the queen. At the head of the bench, Fergus sat in a chair speaking to the lord's that were seated to his right.

After Merida had finished his plate she set it in front of him and he gave her a grateful smile before digging in. After going so long without eating food prepared in a kitchen he moaned in pleasure at the taste of the spices. So many different flavors and textures swarmed his taste buds, threatening to send him into sensory overload. He viciously bit into the turkey leg before he glanced up at noticed everyone staring at the table with mixed expressions of amusement and shock. Sheepishly he swallowed the meat in his mouth and began to eat slower.

"Well he may not look like a Viking, but he's certainly got the appetite of one," lord Macintosh joked.

The other lords joined him in laughter and banged their hands on the table. Beside him Merida giggled lightly while the young lord joined their fathers in laughter.

Lowering his gaze back to his food and finishing his turkey leg he moved on to the brownish lump of meat on his plate. Cutting a piece with his fork he stabbed it and bit into it. It was strange tasting he thought. After a few more bites he determined that it wasn't bad and he swallowed before cutting himself another piece. A gagging noise to his right caught his attention and he turned his gaze to the right as he watched the triplets watching him eat the strange food with disgust written all over their faces.

"Hiccup," Merida said to his left.

He turned to face her and swallowed the brown lump in mouth before answering. "Yes Merida?"

There was a look of mischief in her eye. Like she knew something he didn't. "Do you know what you're eating?" she asked slowly.

"Not really, but it's pretty tasty," he answered before cutting himself another piece and lifting it to his mouth.

"It's called Haggis," she said pausing and trying to hold in her laughter. "It's the heart, liver, and lungs of a sheep cooked inside its own stomach." She finished as his Haggis was a few inches form his open mouth.

Eyes wide he abruptly stopped as he was about to put the 'Haggis' in his mouth. He lifted his fork with the piece of Haggis on the end of it to eye level and stared at it. After a few moments of deliberation he simply shrugged, brought the fork to his mouth, bit down on the Haggis, chewed, and swallowed. Glancing up and noticing everyone's chocked expressions around him he nonchalantly replied, "I've had worse." Referring to the time he ate fish that had been barfed up by Toothless.

Merida gaped at Hiccup in shock. Everybody usually lurched back in disgust when they discovered what Haggis was. Some people even vomited. She had been looking forward to seeing Hiccup's amusing reaction, but the young man simply shrugged it off. She didn't even like Haggis. _What could he possibly had that was worse?_ She wondered.

Sensing her thoughts Hiccup leaned over to whisper into her ear. "Remember when I first befriended Toothless?"

Thinking back to the story she realized what he meant. She then burst out laughing and slapping her hand down on the table. She laughed so hard she began snorting as everyone looked at her in confusion clearly not getting the inside joke.

Finally calming herself she turned back to her own meal as she waited for Hiccup to finish his meal before speaking to him.

After a few minutes of eating, having seconds, and then thirds. Hiccup was satisfied. It had been a long time since he had been able to eat his fill like that. Glancing around, Hiccup felt content among these groups of strangers and was glad he decided to join the feast. Taking a few sips of his wine he began to relax the contagious feeling of the jovial atmosphere.

Then his attention was grabbed by a question from lord Macintosh's son, "So Hiccup, Merida told us that where you come from dragon are abundant."

Turning to the young lord he nodded before answering, "Oh yeah. Where I come from dragons are waited normal and come in all shaped and sizes…Speaking of which," Hiccup said suddenly realizing something he had forgotten.

Grabbing another turkey he began to strip chunks of meat off it. Then turning around in his seat he called out, "Hey Sharpshot, come here boy."

From the saddlebag on Toothless the tiny dragon's head popped out excitedly. Being cooped up for so long in the saddle bag had made him anxious to stretch his wings. Hearing the ok from his master he leapt out of the bag and flew across the room. After doing a mid-air loop he dived down and perched on Hiccup's shoulder.

"Hey bud, sorry I forgot about you for a while. Here you go," Hiccup said while feeding the small dragon the turkey pieces.

The small dragon readily accepted and wolfed down the treat greedily.

"Looks at that. It like a small cat," lord MacGuffin said in amazement.

"Aye, a wee little thing," lord Dingwall murmured in agreement.

Scratching the Terror and the chin he began to explain, "This little guy is called Sharpshot, he's what my people call a Terrible Terror. The bigger dragon is named Toothless. He's a Night Fury. My tribe is the only tribe that lives alongside the dragons and trains them. We used them for construction, hunting, fishing, even smithing, and—,"

"War," lord MacGuffin asked suspiciously. He was obviously a little wary about a Viking tribe with dragons at their disposal.

Hoping to dispel their worries he explained, "Well, if we're attacked then yes. But my tribe doesn't do any raiding. We aren't interested in taking what doesn't belong to us. We simply want to hold on to what little we have." He said honestly.

Seemingly accepting his answer the lords relaxed.

Fergus however raised an inquisitive eyebrow, "What did you mean by smithing lad. You mean like blacksmithing?" He asked.

With a smile Hiccup stood up and said, "How about I show you." Then he walked over to Toothless and pulled out the Gronckle iron sword Fishlegs had given him. Drawing it from its sheathe he inspected it before walking to king Fergus.

Presenting the blade to him Fergus took it with a raised eyebrow. He saw his look of surprise as he obviously felt the weight of it.

"Well it's a beauty lad, but a sword this light isn't gonna be much good to a warrior on the battlefield," Fergus said.

With a mischievous grin Hiccup crossed his arms over his chest, "You'd think so, wouldn't you?" He said obviously planning something. "Lord MacGuffin, if you'd please," he said looking to the lord and motioning him to come forward.

He lord raised an eyebrow but complies standing up from the table and coming to stand by Fergus.

"Lord MacGuffin. Thank you, now if you'd please draw the sword at you side," he said while gesturing to the long sword at the man's hip.

Lord MacGuffin drew the sword slowly, wondering what the young man was up to. After fully drawing the blade the young man positioned Fergus and himself in the front of the thrones facing each other with a small distance between them. Then he raised lord MacGuffins sword and had him hold it out in front of him.

Satisfied Hiccup turned to Fergus, "Alright your majesty. I want you swing your sword as hard as you hand against lord McGuffin's."

The king raised an eyebrow at the young man's request. What did the young man think a sword as light as this would do? If anything it would break. But after a nod of encouragement from Hiccup he shrugged. After the young man backed out of the way king Fergus adjusted his grip on the sword. Then with a grunt he stepped forward and swung the sword in a horizontal arc aiming for the middle of the long sword.

Everyone gasped at what happened when the swords made contact. After the initial clang of metal Hiccup's sword bit into the blade of lord MacGuffin and then went clean through, snapping the blade in two as the top portion of the sword flew off.

Lord MacGuffin stared at his now broken sword.

Everyone in the room stared in shock mouths agape.

Fergus eyed the sword in his hand in shock.

After overcoming her initial shock Merida leapt from her seat and rushed to her father before snatching the sword out of her hand. She couldn't believe how light is was. Taking a few practice swings she said, "It feels like I'm swinging a wooden stick."

The young lord Macintosh had also come to inspect the sword and snatched it from her. "Aye, light as a feather," he said in astonishment.

Everyone turned to look at Hiccup saw the look of amusement in his face. He had clearly known this was going to happen and didn't look the least bit surprised.

Pointing to the sword king Fergus finally asked what was on everyone's mind, "Lad what is that sword made out of?"

"It's called Gronckle Iron. It's made from a special lava that is formed in the belly of a certain dragon we call a Gronckle. Hence the name. We found that the metal is extremely light yet harder than steel," he explained.

Noticing the shield strapped to the dragon Fergus asked, "Is that what your shield is made out of too?"

"Oh show them the shield Hiccup," Merida said excitedly.

With a smile and a nod he took the sword back from the young lord Macintosh before walking over to Toothless. Sheathing the blade putting it back in the saddle bad he grabbed he shield and walked back to the kings.

Holding it up of for them to examine he said, "See an ordinary shield right?" He said while strapping the shield to his right arm.

Once he had everyone attention he activated the switch and transformed it into a crossbow. Everyone gasped in surprise, save for Merida.

Transforming the shield back he continued slowly, "And it can also do this." He paused to look for a suitable target. He found on in a large stuffed bear a few feet always. Taking aim he fired the bola at it, ensnaring it in the ropes.

Turning to face the crowd they looked thoroughly impressed. The ooh and awed while eying the shield.

"Who made that?" King Fergus asked.

"I did," Hiccup answered proudly.

Fergus widened his eyes in surprise at his answer.

"I was trained as a black smith back home. I designed the shield, my dragon's saddle, and even my prosthetic," he explained while lifting the prosthetic up slightly.

"By the way lad, I've been wanting to know the full story on how you lost your leg," the king asked. Fergus loved a good story. And one filled with dragons was just not one he could pass up.

Hiccup waved off Fergus's question and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, "Nah you don't wanna hear that, it's no big deal." Hiccup never really talking about himself. He was just too humble.

"Yes we do," Merida cried. Turning to her father she said, "Oh it's a great story da."

"Oh well now ah have to hear it. Come on lad," Fergus begged.

Still hesitant Hiccup remained silent. He saw the entire room's gaze upon him as they eagerly awaited a story. Deliberating with himself he felt Merida grab his hand.

Merida looked up at him and with her best puppy dog she said, "Oh please Hiccup. Please tell the story." She added a trembling lip for added effect.

_Thor damn it._ Hiccup said in his mind. That darn face. Blushing lightly he gave a deep sigh and said, "Oh alright."

With a wide smile, Merida pulled him back to their seats.

King Fergus, lord MacGuffin, and the young Macintosh all followed hastily and made themselves comfortable in their seats looking at Hiccup expectantly.

Settling down in his seat Hiccup took a sip of his wine. Clearing his throat he was about to begin when he saw the triplets out of the corner of his eyes. Turning to them he smile and handed them his shield for them to examine. Then he reached up to his shoulder and removed Sharpshot. Handing them to the triplets he said, "Here guys hold these for me."

The triplets beamed at him and excitedly accepted the shield and small dragon. They eagerly began feeling Sharpshot's horns and scaly skin.

Sharpshot made an unhappy look at Hiccup and puffed smoke, but made no attempt to free himself form the young pre-teens.

Taking a breath Hiccup started his story. Everyone around him was immediately enthralled in his story. Toothless having heard his name repeatedly during the story got up and went to stand by Hiccup putting his head between him and Merida while Merida scratched him on the chin. The crowd responded to the highs and lows of his story with gasps of excitement and horror. Finally reaching his battle with the Red Death he had them all on the edge of their seats. After concluding his story he took another sip of wine to wet with scratchy throat and let the story sink in.

Fergus then slowly started to clap, which triggered a chain reaction as the lords, their sons, and son everyone in the hall joined in.

"Truly a great story lad," Fergus stated enthusiastically.

"Aye lad amazing," Lord Macintosh added.

"So that why the Viking chief in the dungeon called you all those names?" Lord Dingwall asked.

"Oh yeah. I've become a bit of a legend unintentionally. I just prefer to be called a dragon trainer really," Hiccup said shyly while rubbing the back of his neck.

"So lad, what are you doing here?" Lord MacGuffin said gruffly. Coming out ruder than intended.

"Lord MacGuffin," Elinor cut in chastising the lord.

At the lord's question Hiccup paused with his drink to his lips. The question had just reminded him of his situation. With his presence known and sure to spread throughout the kingdom it was no longer safe to stay in Dunbroch.

"I guess I should explain that," Hiccup said sadly.

With that he slowly began to go over the war with the Berserkers. He explained how Dagur was obsessed with destroying him and started the war for no reason other than to get revenge for not giving him Toothless. He then somberly explained his tribe's plan to capture Dagur that ended in his failure. He concluded his story by stating how he and Beheader had come to the agreement promising to spare Berk from war that led to his exile.

After his story was finished he hung his head sadly.

"So that's why you left?" Merida said at his side.

He nodded slowly.

"Lad. You aren't to blame you know," Fergus said trying to comfort the lad.

"I know. But it's the reason I now have to leave," Hiccup said standing up.

At his sudden action Sharpshot squirmed free of the triplets' grasp and climbed onto Hiccup's shoulder. Toothless also raised his head to look at his rider. Hiccup took his shield back from the boy and was prepared to say goodbye to everyone while thanking the king when a shout cut him off.

"WHAT! You're leaving?" Merida shouted at Hiccup. Her heart had sank at hearing Hiccup declare his intention to leave.

"Yes Merida. The plan was to stay hidden. Then when you found me I at least got you to keep it a secret. But now that I've revealed myself word will spread throughout the kingdom, and eventually it may reach the Berserkers," he explained.

Just as Merida was about to argue, her mother cut in. "That seems unlikely. After all, we Scots don't trade with Vikings," her mother reasoned.

Merida smiled at her mother for making a good argument. She was correct, Vikings and Scots didn't associate with each other. The chance of word spreading to the tribes was minimal.

"That may be. But a trader could stop in Scotland and spread the word to Viking waters," Hiccup said.

Merida didn't have an answer for that. That was certainly a possibility. There was always the occasional trader coming from far off lands. They could hear word from the locals and spread the word around. Not willing to give up she turned to her father in desperation and said, "Dad."

Fergus just sat mouth agape and shrugged, uncertain of what she wanted him to do. She motioned with her eyes toward Hiccup telling him to do something. Standing up Fergus said, "Now hold on Hiccup, my wife is right. It's very unlikely that the Berserkers will hear that you're hear. As a matter a fact why don't you stay here at the castle? I can give you a job as a blacksmith, you can earn a bit a gold, start a new life. You can be happy here lad." The king offered.

Hiccup contemplated the king's offer. It was a very generous offer. If he stayed here he could have a life. He could save up and maybe buy some land someday. Maybe find a Scottish girl. The king's kindness truly touched his heart. But the thought that his presence could possible bring war upon the Scotts was too much of a risk.

"That's a very generous offer your majesty. But no. I won't have Scottish blood on my hands," he said turning to the king with his mind made up.

"Your majesty, thank you for not executing me. And I also thank you for your generosity. If I may ask for one more thing?"

Fergus raised an eyebrow and nodded motioning for him to go on.

"If you will allow me to use your forge I would be most grateful. I would like to make some repairs and perform some maintenance on my dragon's prosthetic and saddle. Gods only know when I'll have access to another forge," he requested.

The king nodded and motioned for a guard to escort him to the forge.

"Thank you your majesty," he said while turning to follow the guard. Pausing he stopped and turned to Merida who was looking at him with sad eyes. Placing a hand on her shoulder he gave her a sad smile. "You've been a good friend Merida. Thank you for everything I'm glad I could help your people," he squeezed her shoulder gently to show his appreciation before following after the guard.

Toothless nuzzled her cheek and gave her a small lick to express his gratitude before following after his rider.

Merida watched him go with sadness. After he left the room she rounded on her father, "Dad you have to make him stay." She cried.

Fergus only shrugged helplessly, "Well there's not much I can do lass. Unless you want me to throw him in the dungeons the lad is free to do as he pleases. The lad's made up his mind."

Merida only frowned. She wasn't gonna give up so easily. Slamming her hands on the table she got up and ran to forge. After all that Hiccup had done, she wouldn't let him do this. He didn't deserve to live alone. As his friend it was her duty to stop him from making a bad decision.

She picked up her pace, readying herself for an argument. She would make him change his mind. She wasn't gonna let her first friend go. Not without a fight.

* * *

After reaching the forge Hiccup had unsaddled Toothless and the tailfin. He then stripped down the tailfin and began heating the metal so that he could reshape it. With the metal heating up he began to go over the saddle. Deciding to play it safe, he determined that building a new saddle would be the best option. Looking through the forge he found the necessary amount of leather that would be required. So with his knife he began cutting. Outside the forge Toothless was curled up with Sharpshot perched on his back as they patiently waited for their master to finish his work. They suddenly perked up at sound of someone swiftly approaching.

Hiccup was interrupted from his work by a voice coming from the doorway, "Hiccup." Said a familiar voice.

Not turning around he paused in his work and took a breath. He suspected that she might try to stop him. He had been preparing for a possible confrontation. Letting out his breath he calmly said, "Yes Merida?"

"You aren't really gonna leave are you?"

"I have to. The Berserkers could find me," he said flatly.

"You'd be safe here. The kingdom is strong. We would protect you, you know. It's the least we owe," Merida insisted.

"I know you would. And that's the problem. I won't have an old war rekindled on my behalf."

"So you're just gonna run for your whole life?" Merida yelled angrily. "Just keep moving? Never settling down? Just being alone?"

"I won't be alone. I have Toothless and Sharpshot with me," he said trying to keep calm.

"Yeah…but Hiccup you need people too. You can't just—," she began.

Finally losing his patience at her persistence Hiccup slammed the leather he was working on down on the work bench. Then her whirled around to face Merida, "Oh my gods Merida, what does it matter?! I'm an outsider. A foreigner. Why am worth risking a war for." He said while running a hand through his hair.

Merida was initially surprised by his outburst. She had never seen Hiccup get angry before. She quickly recovered form her surprise and narrowed her eyes at him. "It matter because you're my friend. Hiccup, you're a good man. You don't deserve to be alone. You deserve to be happy," she quietly.

Touched by her statement, his face softened. "Thank you Merida. But I can't stay. If the Berserkers were to come here and start a war," he paused to turn away and lean over the work bench with his hands on it. "And you were to die. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself," he finished weakly.

This only made Merida angry. Why did this man have to be so damn noble? Why did his reason have to be so unselfish? He was willing sacrifice himself to protect a kingdom full of people who would call him their enemy. Hiccup was such a good man. She realized it was futile to try and persuade him to stay because Hiccup was a man who would always do the right thing. She had seen that today. Feeling hot tears coming to her eyes she angrily yelled, "Fine then. Live alone for the rest of your life you idiot!"

With that she ran out of the forge with her head down pashing a concerned looking Toothless and Sharpshot.

Releasing a shaky breath, Hiccup cursed himself for hurting Merida. She was such a good friend for wanting him to stay. He definitely hadn't wanted their last words to end like this. Picking up the leather scraps again he got back to work.

Suddenly he sensed a presence behind him. He guessed it was Merida come to try and convince him to stay again. With a sigh he said, "Look Merida I'm sorry. I just can't stay. Please don't make this harder than it is."

"Sorry lad. I'm not my daughter," came a voice that sounded remarkably similar to the queen's.

Turning around, he was met with Queen Elinor. Standing up straight and looking regal she had a hint of amusement on her face. Suddenly feeling very nervous in the presence of the sophisticate monarch, Hiccup began to fidget nervously. "Oh...uhm…uh…I'm sorry about your majesty," Hiccup stammered out while attempting an awkward bow.

She gave him a small smile. "It's quite alright lad. I just came looking for my daughter."

"Oh yeah she just left. We kind of had an argument," Hiccup said sadly, tuning his gaze toward the ground.

"I suspected that might happen. My daughter can be quite stubborn," she said knowingly. Shifting her eyes to the workbench behind the young man she asked, "What are you working on?"

"Oh I'm just making a new saddle. Better safe than sorry you know?" He said with a nervous smile.

"I see. Do you mind if I watch," she said interested in the process of making a dragon's saddle.

"Oh yeah. I mean it's your castle and all," Hiccup joked weakly. Then he turned back around to continue his work.

Elinor walked up and stood behind the Viking as he began to work.

Hiccup was starting to sweat having the queen watching him work. Something about her unnerved him. Perhaps it was the fact that he had never met a woman who carried herself like the queen did. There was also the fact that she was incredibly sharp and perceptive. That much was clear in within only the first few moments of meeting her. Hiccup was suddenly pulled form his thought when the king broke the silence after a few moments.

"Do you really plan to live alone for the rest of your life lad?"

"If that's what it takes. It's not the most ideal, I know, but it's what's best for everyone," he said blankly.

"Everyone except you," the queen replied.

"I got my dragons with me. It won't be all bad."

"While they are without a doubt very loyal companions. They are no substitute for people," the queen said evenly.

Hiccup suppressed a groan at the queen's persistence. _They are really are mother and daughter_, Hiccup thought to himself. With a breath through the nose he turned around to face the queen. He was only a few inches taller than her. But she made him feel tiny. Looking into her eyes he said, "I know but they'll have to be enough." He looked down and sighed again before looking back into her eyes, "Sometime we have to sacrifice ourselves for the food of many. As a queen, you probably know that better than anyone," he said, adding the last part in an attempt to end their exchange.

The queen's expression was blank for a few moments. Then without she stepped forward and embraced Hiccup. Hiccup was stunned the sudden action and tensed for a moment. Then the most peculiar thing happened. He relaxed into her hug. He didn't know why, but he found this strangely calming. He imagined this is what a mother's embrace must be like. He didn't remember much about his mother, so he could only guess.

Then all too soon Elinor pulled away and gave him a smile. "You're a good lad," she said sincerely. Then standing up on her toes slightly she kissed him on the forehead before turning to leave.

Hiccup stood there surprised. HE touched the spot on his forehead the queen had kissed and tried to process why it made so happy.

"I'm sure you've heard about the little…experience I had two years ago?"

Hiccup looked up to see the queen had stopped in the doorway to forge. He assumed she was talking about the incident where she was turned into a bear. He still found that story hard to believe. He was also a tad bit curious about what that must have been like.

"During that time I came to learn many things. I learned about finding strength within oneself. I learned about my daughter and how to compromise," she paused and turned to look at Hiccup. She held his gaze as she made her last point, "I also learned that sometimes, sacrifice is an excuse we tell ourselves to run away from finding a happy resolution."

Hiccup's eyes widened in surprise. For some reason it struck him to his core. He mulled over what the queen had just said.

With that the queen turned and left. Leaving the young man to his internal deliberation.

Was running away what he was doing? Sure there was a minimal chance that the Berserkers would find him, but was it ok to risk it? Was it ok for him to put an entire land in danger? Wasn't it just selfish? Hiccup didn't know. But he knew one thing. He didn't want to keep running. He didn't want to be alone. Coming to a decision he exited the forge and looked into the eyes of his companions. As if sensing his thoughts they perked up and Toothless stood to follow his master as he made his way back to the main hall.

He was going to see the king. There was something he needed to discuss with him.

* * *

The next morning Merida woke up in her bed feeling absolutely miserable. She hadn't meant to say that last, mean, and insulting thing to Hiccup. It wasn't they friends were supposed to part ways. Plus she had been so awful to him when the poor lad just wanted to protect them all. Now, he was probably gone and she would never get the chance to apologize. Even the thoughts on the anniversary of the alliance couldn't cheer her up. Dragging herself out of bed and getting dressed she trudged downstairs for breakfast.

Her family were the only one's present at the table. The clan members probably sleeping off a hangover from last night's celebration. Her father was present. He had dark circles under his eyes and he held his head in his hand as he slowly ate. She mumbled out a good morning and took her seat. Her brother's noticed her terrible mood and smiled at her. She smiled weakly back.

"Sleep well dear?" Her mother asked.

"Not really mom," she replied sadly.

She looked at her mother and something struck her as odd. While her mother's face had a neutral expression, her eyes seemed to be shining with something. Mischief? Looking across from her, she noticed her brother all had the same expression. They actually seemed to be trying to hide smile as they quickly shoved food in their mouths. It's like they were hiding something. Ike they knew a secret that she didn't. Maybe it was about the celebration? She raised an eyebrow in confusion at their strange behavior. As she was about to ask them about it a voice form behind her caused her to freeze in shock.

"Morning every one," the voice said.

Finally taking notice of chair set up to her right she whirled to face the figure who had just taken a seat. And was met with the face of Hiccup who gave her a crooked grin.

"Morning Merida, morning your majesties, morning boys," he said while addressing the whole table.

"Good morning Hiccup. Did you sleep well?" Elinor asked.

"Oh yes your majesty. But those beds are way too soft. Thought I was gonna sink through to the floor," Hiccup joked with a smile.

Merida watched the exchange between her mother and Hiccup in bewilderment. They were acting like everything was completely normal. Turning she stared at Hiccup as he ate. After a few moments Hiccup stopped and turned to her.

"What? Something on my face?" He said as neutrally as he could. Trying his best not to burst out laughing at her confused expression

"Hiccup? You're here? Eating breakfast?" she asked.

"Of course. Long day ahead of me. Gotta make a good first impression with my new colleagues," he said nonchalantly.

Still utterly perplexed, Elinor cut in to explain. "You see dear. Hiccup has decided to stay at the castle," Elinor started. "At least for the time being," she added. "And your father has given Hiccup a job as one of the royal blacksmiths."

Going over the mother's explanation in her mind she suddenly beamed. She turned to Hiccup still smiling. "So you're staying?" She asked excitedly.

He smiled and with a shrug he answered, "Yeah. For now at least."

"Oh Hiccup!" she shouted happily as she through her arms around him in a hug.

He chuckled nervously and returned the hug before a noise coming down the stairs caught his attention. With saddle in mouth Toothless descended the stairs and came to Hiccup's right side before dropping the items down in front of him. He looked at Hiccup and grunted impatiently.

"Oh come on bud at least let me eat," he begged the eager dragon.

Toothless snorted indifferently before gently grabbing his arms and pulling him out of his seat.

"Ah, alright Mr. Bossy. Geez," Hiccup said slightly annoyed. Crouching he scooped up the flight gear and began making his way to the entrance to the hall. He paused at the door and turned around.

"Hey Merida, want to come?" Hiccup asked.

Merida smiled in excitement before turning to her mother for permission.

Her mother smiled back and said, "Alright. Go ahead. But be back within an hour."

Merida eagerly nodded before leaping from her seat and following the Viking and dragon to the courtyard. She bounced around on her feet anxiously while Hiccup saddled Toothless and attached the tailfin. Ready to go he mounted Toothless and offered her his hand. She quickly accepted it and leapt on, grasping firmly onto the young man.

"You ready?" Hiccup asked looking back to her with a smile.

"Ready," she said with a nod.

With that Hiccup directed Toothless to take off. Which Toothless happily obliged. Beating his wings steadily he rose and level out before heading straight for the loch.

"So Merida, you wanna see what Toothless can really do?" Hiccup asked her.

"YES!" She shouted excitedly. "Let's see what he's got then."

Chuckling he leaned down to Toothless and quietly said, "You hear that bud? She want to see what you can REALLY do."

Toothless snorted at the challenge. With that Hiccup adjusted the tailfin and Toothless shot forward with a burst of speed. Merida gave a delighted shriek. Adrenaline coursing through her whole body as the wind roared passed her ears.

Seeing Merida enjoying the ride he quickly directed Toothless into a steep dive. Merida shrieked in delight as they headed straight for the waters of the loch. Then he pulled up at the last second and gained altitude again. Climbing high into the cloud he made Toothless do a couple spins. Then he let them freefall, letting Toothless do corkscrews as they fell.

Merida was having a blast. She thought riding Angus was exciting. But the experience of flying and Toothless's amazing speed totally beat all the rides she had ever gone on with Angus.

Deciding that there had been enough heart racing stunts he adjusted the tailfin, directing Toothless to level out and fly smoothly.

Feeling her stomach settle at the sudden stop Merida gaze out of the beautiful blue water of the loch. She'd never thought she would get to see it like this. It was truly a sight to behold. Looking up at Hiccup's face she smiled. She was glad he had decided to stay. There was still so much more about the young man she wanted to learn.

"I'm glad you're staying Hiccup," she said honestly.

He turned his head to face her. With a smile he replied, "Yeah me too. But I just want you to know Merida that it probably won't be forever."

She raised an eyebrow in inquiry.

"The Berserkers may find me one day. If that does happen, I will leave," he told her firmly. "Or I may just decide I want to move," he added.

She didn't like the fact that he may leave one day. But she realized that that was fair. He was his own person. He was an adventurer and held no real loyalty to the kingdom. She nodded in understanding.

"But I'll promise you this," he added.

She looked at him and met his eyes.

"I won't leave without saying goodbye," he said resolutely. Holding her gaze so she could see the truth in his eyes.

Merida smiled at that. At least he wouldn't disappear on her. With that understanding reached she pressed herself against the young man and relaxed. Placing her chin on his shoulder she stared off into the distance content to enjoy the moment.

He turned his gaze back to the front of him. He was glad he was staying. Looking down he couldn't help but admire the beauty of the land and lake. Feeling the girl relax behind him, he smiled to himself.

He couldn't believe his luck. Who would have thought he would've come across such a great friend in the land of his worst enemies. He chuckled at the irony of it all and content to let the god laugh at his unexpected twist of fate.

* * *

**Hello everyone. Hope this chapter is enjoyable. Hope the fanfic is overall enjoyable. Hiccup and Merida will get together I rpomise but it iwll be a few more chapter. I'm slowly building up their relationship. **

**Anyway wnated to run another fanfic idea by you guys to get your thoughts. So i've noticed how in most Merricup fanfics that portray Hiccup and Merida as childhood friends, their mothers were best friends. or at least very close. So how would they have met? Here's my idea.**

**Plot: Elinor is kidnapped by marauder from her clan's land. Going into viking territory she is saved by Val (Hiccup's mom) and the Hooligan tribe and befriends her. His mother then proceeds to personally see that she gets back home. Thoughts?**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 11: The Birthday**

_Four months had passed since Hiccup had made his decision to stay at castle Dunbroch. Hiccup took his new job as a blacksmith very seriously and worked diligently in service of the king. While working at the castle he was given his own room. With the gold earned from his new job he would give a small amount to the monarchs as payment for his housing arrangements. They insisted he didn't have to pay, but Hiccup insisted that he would and they relented when Hiccup threatened to camp outdoors otherwise._

_During his stay at the castle everyone came to love him. He was polite, funny, helpful, and kind. So unlike any Viking the castle staff had ever heard of. He would talk and make conversation with the guards and his colleagues. He would inquire about the names of the maid staff and always gave a polite greeting during passing and thanking them profusely for their service._

_The royal family especially became fond of the young man. Fergus treated Hiccup like he was one his own sons. He would regularly take Hiccup and fishing and hunting trips with his three own son and swap stories with Hiccup of their exploits. He also took pleasure in helping the boy improved his combat skills and techniques. Hiccup in turn enjoyed spending time with the king. The king was so much like his own father, but with a nicer, friendlier demeanor._

_The young princes came to view Hiccup as an older brother figure. They were enraptured by his ability to create things and would constantly barrage Hiccup with requests for inventions to help them in their pranks. Luckily Hiccup was sensible enough to politely say no. Hiccup came to view the young princes as brother and would attempt to keep them from terrorizing the innocent with promises of dragon rides with limited success._

_Elinor had developed a soft spot for the young man as well and became like a surrogate mother to him. She would constantly fuss over him like he was one of her own children. She would scold him for coming back from forge covered in soot, berate him for being out too late, and asked if he had eaten properly. Hiccup didn't mind her treatment. Not having a mother growing up he appreciated having someone care about him so much. The queen was also pleased having a new student who actually wanted to learn things from her. Hiccup's natural curiosity led him to ask Elinor to teach him about their culture, which the queen happily obliged._

_Lastly Hiccup and Merida's friendship grew and they became best friends. They would constantly spend their free time together. They would pass the time talking, having shooting contests, racing Angus against Toothless, or going on flights together. Hiccup would also join Merida in some of her lessons and thus easing her boredom allowing her to pay more attention and learn better._

_Now with Merida's birthday coming up in two weeks' time she was extremely excited that Hiccup would be around to share it with her and eagerly counted down the days._

* * *

The sound of metal hitting metal could be heard coming from the castle's forge. Inside, Hiccup was busy making a sword at the request of the soldiers. Hiccup banged on the glowing red sword before finally flattening it to a satisfactory degree. Then he put it into the water to cool before pulling the newly crafted blade out and examining his work. With a nod of satisfaction he put the completed blade on a weapon's rack so the guard could come pick it up later. With that finished he went to his work bench and pulled out the bundle he had underneath.

Inside the bundle was his other project that he was working on in his spare time. It was to be Merida's nineteenth birthday present and he hoped very much that she would like it. The gift was leather armor similar in design to his own but unique. With it he had also designed several daggers that would be hidden in sheathes located on different areas of the armor (much like the dagger always on the forearm of his). He figured Merida would like it because she had repeatedly mentioned how much she liked his own. Getting to work sewing he started to hum a tune.

"Hey Hiccup," came the voice of the princess from the forge entrance.

With a yelp of surprise Hiccup scrambled to wrap his work back in the bundle before whirling around to face Merida. "Well good afternoon your majesty," Hiccup said mockingly with a bow. He liked to address the princess with her royal titles because it irritated her to no end. "What brings you here to the simple workplace of the common folk?"

Merida rolled her eyes and walked into the forge. She would always seek out her best friend whenever she got a small break from her lessons. Knowing he'd likely be here, she came and found him. She was excited about her birthday this year because Hiccup would celebrate it with her. He young man also made great presents. For her father's birthday he had made a huge war axe, 'Viking style', as Hiccup explained that her father absolutely adored. For her mother's birthday he made several jewel encrusted goblets for feasting that her mother admired and used regularly. Noticing that he had been spending more time in the forge as her birthday grew nearer, she assumed it was to work on her present. And of course Merida being naturally curious had hoped she could sneak a peek before her birthday.

"Nothing. Ah just wanted to see what you were up to," she said shrugging and entering the forge. Locking eyes with Hiccup she put her hands on her hips and approached him slowly. Getting closer she noticed that Hiccup was trying to use his body to hide something from her view. Reaching him she continued to stare into his eyes, pleased to see that he was fidgeting nervously. "So Hiccup? What do you have behind you?"

"Oh nothing," he answered as casually as he could.

Cocking her head to the side she pressed on, "Oh really? That wouldn't happen to be my birthday present now would it?"

"You got me princess. But, no, you can't see it now. You'll have to wait until your birthday."

"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Hiccup come on now. We both know how this is going to proceed," she said shaking her head and walking off to the side. "You're going to say no and then I'm going to just stare at you until I get what I want," she said matter of factly.

"Oh is that so?" Hiccup challenged. He knew she was right. Hiccup was a total push over when it came to Merida. She could make him do anything she wanted without even lifting a finger. He didn't know why he always folded so easily. But one look into her eyes and he was incapable of denying her every demand.

"Of course it is Hiccup. Ah am the princess after all. So we can do this the easy way," pausing she brought her hands together before cracking her knuckles. "Or the hard way. Your choice laddie."

Hiccup quickly began formulating a plan. He knew Merida would get what she wanted. But today he was determined to deny her. This present was supposed to be a surprise and he would make it so. Steeling himself he swallowed deeply. Then he grabbed the bundle from behind him and kept it behind his back. Then he slowly approached Merida, "Ok Merida you win. I guess I'll just—." Hiccup was saying before he quickly bolted out of the forge as fast as she could.

Smiling after him she shook her head. _Oh Hiccup. You had to choose the hard way. _Then she took off after him.

Hiccup ran through the castle hallways as fast as he could with his bundle clutched closely to his chest. Behind him he could hear his pursuer close on his heels. Turning his head slightly to look behind him he saw Merida wearing a feral grin on her face.

"Get back here Hiccup!"

"No Merida. You have to wait until your birthday!" Hiccup yelled back.

Hiccup knew he had to get outside. If he could get to Toothless he could fly off and Merida would have to give up her chase. Taking a left turn he nearly crashed into one of the maid staff. Calling out a quick sorry he continued running life his life depended on it. From the right queen Elinor suddenly descended down some stairs.

"Your majesty," Hiccup said as respectfully as he could while running passed her.

"Mum," Merida said passing the queen.

Elinor shook her head and smiled at the antics of those two. The maid staff mimicked the queen's gesture. This was a regular thing between those two. Elinor felt sorry for the young man her daughter was chasing; like a wolf trying to catch a rabbit.

Continuing his path Hiccup finally reached the main hall. Hearing Merida closing in he ran to the opposite end of the table to see if he could end the chase without any bruising.

Merida came into the hall a few seconds after. Seeing Hiccup on the other side she ran to catch him. But the damned Viking simply ran away from her and stood on the opposite side. Keeping the table between them. Placing her hands on the table and leaning over she narrowed her eyes at the man denying her what she wanted.

"Ok Merida. Let's just stop and let bygones be bygones," he said.

"Nae Hiccup. Ah'm going to get a look at what you got there," she said shifting her gaze to the bundle.

She knew she would never get him like. The table in between them made sure of that. If she attempted to go one way Hiccup would go the other. If she attempted to climb over the table, Hiccup would use the opportunity to run again. Seeing only one other options she yelled, "BOYS!"

From her father's position at the table the three princes popped their head up, faces still sticky with the pastry they had stolen earlier. Turning to their sister they raised their eyebrows in inquiry.

"Boys grab Hiccup and you can have my desert for the week," she offered.

Turning to Hiccup they hesitated, giving him a chance to counteroffer.

"Boys, slow your sister down and I'll build you mini catapults for your birthday," he said never taking his eyes off Merida.

The triplets looked at each other and considered both offers. Turning to Hiccup Harris motioned with his hand to offer something more.

_Wee devils._ With a sigh Hiccup made another offer, "Along with the catapults I'll make you mini wrist mounted crossbows."

With a smile they charged Merida and latched onto her.

"Traitors!" Merida yelled at her brothers as they attempted to drag her down to the floor.

Using the opportunity Hiccup ran to the doors of the main hall and outside.

With a curse Merida quickly squirmed free of her brothers' grasp and ran after him. Knowing he was heading to Toothless's favorite sunning spot on the practice grounds.

Reaching the practice ground, Hiccup quickly located his companion. On the other side of the practice grounds Toothless was sunbathing contently. "Toothless!" Hiccup called out. Hearing his rider's call, the dragon perked up and stood.

Just as Hiccup was about to make his way to Toothless, something jumped onto his back.

"Gotcha!" Merida shouted in victory.

Stumbling under the added weight Hiccup almost fell over. Luckily he managed to right himself and began slowly making his way toward Toothless.

"Give it to me," Merida demanded wrapping an arm around his neck and using the other to reach out and try to snatch the bundle.

"Never! Toothless!" Hiccup called out to the dragon once again. He raised his arm with the bundle out in front of his and as far away from Merida's grasp as he could.

Merida tried to make herself as heavy as possible. Unfortunately for her, she wasn't a very large girl to begin with and Hiccup was stronger than he looked.

Within a few feet of Toothless Hiccup finally collapsed after stumbling over a rock. On hands and knees he continued to crawl toward the dragon as Merida tried to roll him over to his side.

Toothless approached slowly. He was just having too much fun watching his rider and the princess. He watched as Merida seemed to be trying to grab a bundle that Hiccup was keeping just out of her reach.

"Toothless, take this bundle and run bud. Don't let Merida get it," Hiccup cried to the dragon.

With a nod Toothless came forward and snatch the bundle up with his mouth before running off. He didn't know why Hiccup wanted this bundle kept from Merida so badly, but it seemed important to him so he would oblige.

"Yes!" Hiccup cried in victory as he watched Toothless run off. With his mission complete Hiccup collapsed onto his stomach with Merida still on top of him.

"NO!" Merida cried angrily. She watched Toothless snatch up the bundle before running off. She would never get it now. As much as Toothless liked her she knew he would never disobey an order from Hiccup. Deciding to vent her frustration on the person who had denied her she grabbed Hiccup by the back of the head and pushed his face into the dirt.

"Oh no. The Scottish have declared war on the Vikings," Hiccup joked.

"Aye. Taking the initiative, the Scotts gain an early advantage," Merida said before grabbing Hiccup's arm and yanking it up towards his should blades.

Hiccup cried out in pain as the girl on his back was attempting to break his arm.

"Now tell me what ye were making me," she demanded while yanking the arm up.

Looking up, Hiccup saw a way to turn the tables on the red head. "But the Scotts didn't expect the Vikings' new weapon. Sharpshot get her!" Hiccup shouted.

Looking up from Hiccup, Merida noticed the little green Terror who had come to watch them out of curiosity. After hearing Hiccups order the little Terror crouched before springing up to grab Merida's face. Causing her to reel off Hiccup as she attempted to pry the little Terror off.

Seeing his moment to counter attack, he shoved Merida down and leapt on her.

Finally getting the dragon off her face she was pushed to the ground. In the next moment Hiccup had thrown himself on her. She looked up to see Hiccup kneeling with his legs on either side of her hips. On his face was an evil smirk as he held his arms to the side and wiggled his fingers menacingly. She paled at realizing what was coming.

"And then the Vikings turn the tide. They the press the attack using the most inhumane form of warfare. The tickle assault," Hiccup crowed theatrically as he started to tickle the princess on her sides and stomach.

The princess squealed and attempted in vain to hit the Viking. But the laughter didn't allow her to put any strength into her blows. Between laughs and snorts she threatened the young man, "Hiccup….Snort...stop….hahahaha...I'll kill ye...Snort…I swear….I'll kill ye." She failed to sound menacing as she wanted to due to her mad giggling.

Hiccup only increased his rapid tickling. This was the only way to get back at Merida. Gods know he would never raise a hand against her. He enjoyed being able to torture her from time to time.

Still under Hiccup's relentless assault, Merida tried to think of way to gain the advantage between her mad giggling. Looking through the tears in her eyes she saw a vulnerable target. Reaching her arm, out she gabbed Hiccup's braid and yanked it to the side as hard as he could. As she had hoped he cried out in pain and rolled off her.

"Ow! Why would you do that?" Hiccup yelled as Merida yanked on one his braid, forcing him to roll of Merida.

Seeing the chance Merida quickly pinned Hiccup beneath her. Straddling his hips she began to try to punch him out of revenge for the tickling. The young man raised his hand to shield his face and body from her attack. Then Merida felt a tug on her head from the side. Looking over she saw Sharpshot once again attempting to help his master by taking a mouthful of her hair and thrashing it back and forth gently. Not feeling too much pain from the dragon she turned her attention back to beating the young Viking.

Hiccup watched as Merida threw light punches at him with a smile on her face. Hiccup was smiling too and even began to laugh at their humorous wrestling. They would do this on occasion, so it was nothing new. He held his arms up to protect his face as he waited for the princess to tire herself out.

Finally finished with her assault Merida got her laughing under control and dropped her arms. Then she rolled off Hiccup and laid down next to him.

Sharpshot seeing the struggle was over scurried over the princess to his master before curling up and lying on his chest.

With their laughter dying down the pair simply stared at the sky and enjoyed each other's company. Merida was only slightly annoyed that she didn't get to see what Hiccup was working on but wasn't going to dwell on it. She'd see it soon after all.

"Ahem," came a voice from behind them.

Craning their neck they saw the queen and king standing behind them with raised eyes brows.

Quickly jumping to his feet and lifting Sharpshot on his shoulder he cleared his throat, "Oh…um your majesties. Hello." Hiccup said while rubbing the back of his neck.

"Hello Hiccup," the queen said evenly. "What were you two up to?"

"Oh you know. Just reenacting war between our people is all mum," Merida said trying to suppress giggles.

"Oh really? Well who won then?" Fergus asked amused.

"I did," the pair said in unison. Then they turned to glare at each other before Merida punched Hiccup in the arm.

Hiccup grimaced in pain and rubbed his arm. "Fine then. Merida won," he said rolling his eyes.

She stuck her tongue out at him before turning to her parents with a proud smile on her face.

Fergus chuckled to himself amused at the pair.

"Well aright then. Come along then dear, it's time to continue your lessons," Elinor said to her daughter before turning away.

"Yes mum. See you later Hiccup," she said with a small wave and turning to follow after her mother.

With the king and Fergus alone Hiccup turned to the king, "Well if you'll excuse me your majesty, I gotta go find my dragon." With a bow he turned from the king and began to go in the direction Toothless took off in.

Watching the boy walk away, Fergus shrugged and turned back to the castle to go about his own business.

* * *

Walking from the forge Hiccup was headed toward the kitchen to grab a late night snack. He had missed dinner due to the fact that he had to search for Toothless. When he found the dragon he decided to go on a flight. Returning to the castle he went straight to the castle to continue working on Merida's gift.

"Hiccup," said the person he had just been thinking about from behind.

Stopping he waited for her to catch up to him. "Hey Merida. What's up?" he asked.

"Nothing. I just came to check on you. I didn't see you at dinner," she answered slightly concerned.

"It was nothing. Thanks to _someone_ I had to go look for Toothless. Then I went for a flight and came back to work on my project," he said with shrug.

"My birthday present," she asked curiously.

He chuckled lightly before nodding. "I'm headed to the kitchen to grab something. Wanna come?"

"Sure."

With that they walked side by side in silence as they made their way to the kitchen. Merida still wondered what Hiccup had made for her. She was excited and wished that the days would go by faster so she could find out. Then a though struck her. Turning to Hiccup she asked, "Hey Hiccup? When is your birthday?"

"Hm?" Hiccup said only half paying attention. He was more concerned about what he was going to eat.

"Your birthday. When we met you said you were 19. It's been some time since then so I was just wondering when it is," she answered.

"Oh that. Yeah I already tuned twenty," he said with a shrug. He turned his head slightly towards Merida with a sheepish smile and added, "My birthday was two months ago."

Merida's eyes widened at the new information. She stepped in front of Hiccup and said, "Hiccup! Why didn't you tell me?" She was genuinely upset he hadn't told her. She would've celebrated it with him.

With a shrug he simply said, "It wasn't a big deal."

"It most certainly is a big deal. You're a year older now," she insisted.

"What's all this then?" king Fergus said walking up from behind Merida.

Tuning to face her father she gestured to Hiccup and answered, "Dad, Hiccup's birthday was two months ago and he didn't tell us."

Fergus's mouth fell open as he took in the information. Turning to face Hiccup he said, "Hiccup lad. Why didn't you tell us?"

"It's not a big deal your majesty," Hiccup repeated.

"Of course it is lad. You're another year older now," Fergus said.

"Who's older now?" Queen Elinor said coming up from behind Merida and the king.

Tuning to answer his wife king Fergus said, "Elinor love, Hiccup's birthday passed two month ago and the lad didn't tell us."

Eyes widening in surprise she pushed passed her husband and came to stand in front of Hiccup. Looking into his eyes with a slight hint of hurt she said, "Hiccup, is this true? Why didn't you tell us?"

"Your majesties, I insist it's not a big deal. Besides I had a great time. I took the day off, went on a long flight with Toothless, oh and the market had some Icelandic cod. Yum," Hiccup said while rubbing his stomach for emphasis. "It was great."

Raising an eyebrow and unconvinced she turned to face her daughter and husband. "I propose that we go on an excursion tomorrow, pack a lunch, and give Hiccup some presents."

"Great idea love," Fergus said with a smile.

Hiccup with mouth agape at the monarch's blatant disregard of him interrupted. "No. No. Look your majesties I appreciate your concern. But it's no big deal and besides I have work to do tomorrow," Hiccup insisted.

"Nonsense lad. I can speak with the other smiths and get you the day off," Fergus said dismissing his argument.

Running a hand through his hair in frustration at the monarch's persistence he said, "Your majesties I must insist that this really—"

"Hiccup," Elinor said cutting him off. With her interruption Hiccup looked into the eyes of the queen and felt tiny. When Elinor put on her queenly face Hiccup knew the battle was over. Like her daughter Elinor had a power over him that was even stronger. "The royal family will be going on a picnic tomorrow. You will join us on this excursion and well will celebrate your birthday. Now is that understood?" She stated firmly. Her tone of voice making it very clear that it was a royal order and not up for argument.

With mouth agape he looked to the king and Merida for help. King Fergus just shrugged and offered no help. Merida just smirked, having achieved what she wanted through her mother.

"But," Hiccup tried to argue.

"Is that understood?" Elinor asked raising an eyebrow. Almost daring Hiccup to challenge her.

Sagging his shoulder in defeat Hiccup let out a sigh. "Yes your majesty." Hiccup cast his gaze to the floor. He couldn't believe how easily he could be folded by the queen.

"Good. Now off to bed with ye," she said raising a finger for emphasis.

"Ok now that's enough. I am a man. You can't just send me off to bed like a child," he said firmly. Or at least he would have; if the gods had suddenly blessed him with the ability and nerve to stand up to the queen. Instead what really came out was, "But I haven't eaten."

"I'll send a servant up with a plate. Now go," she repeated firmly.

Keeping his head down in utter defeat he turned around and began to make his way to his room. Under his breath he muttered, "I am a man."

"What was that dear?"

"Nothing."

* * *

The next day Elinor quickly had the servants prepare a picnic basket and rounded up a handful of guards for the excursion. With everything prepared the royal family all mounted horses with the king, queen, and princess all carrying a triplet with them. The guards prepared a cart with a bench and a sunshade. Hiccup mounted Toothless with Sharpshot on his shoulder as he waited for everyone to set out. When the king gave the order the procession head out. With the monarchs in the lead, Hiccup flew on Toothless and made lazy circles around everyone on the ground as he waited for them to choose a spot to setup.

When the group had picked a clearing in the woods and began to setup Hiccup descended to join them. He stood to the side as the guards unloaded the bench and set up the sunshade over it. With that the royal family spread out a cover over the bench and proceeded to unpack the basket. With that done the guards spread out to cover the perimeter of the clearing. One of them however went to the cart and pulled out a basket before handing it to Hiccup with a smile. Checking the contents, he saw it was full of fish for his dragons and nodded in appreciation. The guard then proceeded to take a position on guard. Hiccup then poured out the fish in front of Toothless to let him eat. Sharpshot jumped down from his shoulder to join Toothless in a meal. With his companions taken care of he went over to join the royal family as they awaited for him.

Joining them at the table they all smiled to him before passing him a plate and started eating. Accepting the plat Hiccup smiled back and dug in himself. The first hour or so went on with eating and small conversation. Fergus told the tale or Mor'du at the irritation of everyone save Hiccup who not having heard it a thousand times still enjoyed it.

When they had all finished eating Elinor clapped to get everyone attention and said, "Alright everyone, with our pallets full I saw now is the time for presents."

Everyone smiled excitedly before getting up and walking to walk to their horses. Then digging through the saddle bags they pulled out some things and walked back to Hiccup. With their objects behind their back they sat down and awaited for anyone to go first.

"I suppose I'll go first then," Elinor said.

With that she pulled out two folded pieces of linen from behind her back and present them to Hiccup.

Hiccup took them and examined them. Placing one on the table he unfolded it and realized what it was. "Oh hey, it the clan tartan of Dunbroch. Wow thank you your majesty," Hiccup said with an appreciative smile to Elinor.

With a smile and a nod she pointed to the other folded linen and added, "And that one dear is a special one I've been having made for you. It's a unique tartan for you alone." She said this with pride.

Hiccup picked up the other kilt and opened it to examine the patterns. He loved it. It at had the color, green, black, with red and whites mixed in. He couldn't help but be reminded of Toothless and assumed that that was what queen Elinor had intended. "Oh wow your majesty I love them. Thank you," with that he stood and walked over to her and gave her a light hug which she returned.

"I guess ah'll go next then," King Fergus said getting his attention.

Releasing the queen he turned to look at the king who was holding a fur cloak in front of him.

"It made of bear skin. I thought you'd like it," the king said with a smile.

"Wow. You kidding your majesty. I love it, it awesome," he said genuinely liking the cloak. It was made of black bear skin and had a chain linking two side together where the head would go. With a smile he took it a put it on. Still smiling he turned to the royal family to get their opinion.

They all smiled and nodded showing their approval of his look.

"Me next," Merida cut in excitedly. She quickly got up and came over to Hiccup. With a smile she pulled out a small object behind her back. A small leather book.

"A new sketch book," Hiccup said in realization. He took from her grateful and flipped through the pages. "Wow thanks Mer, I've been needing a new one." Appreciating the gift he gave her a hug which she returned.

With that she backed away and looked at her father.

King Fergus gave her a nod a cleared his throat.

Turning to face him he saw king reaching into his pocket. Digging through them for a while the king pulled out a medallion and held it in front of Hiccup. After examining it, Hiccup's eyes widened when he saw that the symbol of the clan Dunbroch was stamped on it.

"This is just something from all of us. We just wanted you to know that even though you may not be from here or even if you won't be here forever," he looked Hiccup in the eyes and smiled at him with kindness before continuing. "That you will always have a home in Dunbroch."

Accepting the medallion Hiccup stared down at it. He couldn't believe what they had just given him. He knew that they liked him but this. They had practically accepted him as a member of the clan. They'd even given him a kilt of the clan's tartan. They had accepted a Viking, their enemy, into their kingdom and into their clan within only a few months of knowing him. Hiccup was touched by the gesture. Hiccup couldn't believe he had found such a place to call home.

_Home._ The word suddenly rung in his mind. Hiccup had never completely forgotten Berk. He couldn't after all, it was his home. But being her, with Merida, with her family, it made him miss it a little less. They made the hurt fade away to only a slight throb in his heart. Suddenly he realized how much he missed Berk.

"Hiccup?" came Merida's voice.

Looking up he was met with her concerned face. "Are you ok?"

At her question Hiccup suddenly realized the moisture coming from his eyes and present down his cheeks. Hiccup had begun to cry. He was so touched by the gesture that tears had escaped his eyes and ran down his face. Feeling both joy and embarrassment simultaneously he turned away and took a few step until he was in the sun, "Oh yeah. Just something in my eye." He lied while rubbing his eyes with his thumb and forefinger to stop the floodgates that had burst open.

He tried to take a breath to calm himself, but it didn't work. He futilely tried to will himself to stop crying. But he couldn't. The tears just kept coming as his whole body started to rack with sobs. "Oh gods, it's really in there," he said rubbing his eyes more vigorously.

Suddenly he felt several things wrap around his legs. Looking down he saw the triplets hugging him and looking up at him with a smile. Then out that corner of his eye to his right he saw the red hair of Merida coming up and embracing him. To his left, Elinor reached her arms around him and did the same. Lastly the giant arms of the king snaked their way around him.

"You'll always be welcome here lad," the king whispered.

With that Hiccup gave up trying to hold back the tears. He just let them fall freely and ran himself dry. Finally calming himself, the royal family released him. With a sniff he gave them his best smile and thanked them for all that they had done. The family nodded in acceptance. Sitting back down at the bench the queen spoke up once more, "Oh and Hiccup. We brought you one last thing."

Hiccup looked at the queen curiously, wondering what else she had brought him. Then he watched as she reached into the picnic basket and pulled out a wrapped plate with, "No way! Icelandic cod. How did you get that? The market hardly ever has it." Hiccup said in amazement as he eyed the dish.

"Well, being the queen does have perks," the queen said in amusement.

Placing the dish in front of him, Hiccup immediately grabbed his fork before stabbing into the fish and taking a bite. He moaned in pleasure as he savored the flavor.

"Is it really that good?" Merida asked, curious.

"You kidding? It tastes just like home," Hiccup answered with a smile as he took another bite.

Suddenly a black shape to his left caught his eyes and he looked to see Toothless leaning over him smelling at the fish. Toothless recognized the familiar scent of the fish and wanted some for himself.

"No Toothless. This is mine," Hiccup said as he tried to push the dragon's head away.

The dragon ignored his human's attempt to stop him and tried to take a bite from the fish.

"No Toothless. Get back," he said as he tried to eat the dish faster while pushing the dragon's head away with one arm.

The royal family only watched on in amusement. They liked the lad and were glad they could celebrate his birthday. They all agreed that the Dunbroch would be a home for him for as long as he wanted it to be and were glad they had found a way to tell him so.

* * *

Merida awoke to the light coming into her room thought the cracks in her curtains. With a yawn she tuned over and closed her eyes to return to her sleeping. Then he eyes snapped open as she realized what today was. Today was her birthday. Getting up she performed a quick wash before getting dressed ad running to Hiccup's room.

Stopping at his door she knocked a few time loudly and said, "Hiccup. Wake up ye lazy lad." She paused and listened for a response or a groan that would tell her to go away. Hearing nothing she knocked again. When she again heard nothing from inside; she entered. Looking around she saw that neither Hiccup nor his dragons were present.

With a frown she exited the room and closed the door behind her before running to the forge. At the forge she entered and still saw no Hiccup. Asking the blacksmiths they said that Hiccup wasn't due to work today.

Scowling at the answer she continued to look for the lad. She checked the main hall, the guard tower, the armory, the library, and lastly the training grounds. But she couldn't find the man.

Exiting the back door of the kitchen she found Toothless and Sharpshot currently having breakfast. She decided to ask the dragon where the young man had disappeared to.

"Hey Toothless," she said to get the dragon's attention. When the dragon looked up from his fish at her she asked her question, "Have you seen Hiccup?"

Ear flaps twitching at the mention of Hiccup he motioned with his head in the direction of the town. _He must have gone into town. But why?_ She thought to herself. With a shrug she decided that she would just wait for him to return.

"Thanks Toothless," she said before turning back to go inside.

Then suddenly the black dragon opened his wing in front of her, blocking her path. In confusion she looked at the dragon in inquiry. The dragon looked at her and used his wings to make her back away from the door. Confused she took a step back wondering what the dragon wanted. With that Toothless used his body to maneuver her until her back was facing the castle wall.

Staring at the dragon, she wondered what had him acting so strange. Although she had known the dragon for a few months now she still learned things about him that surprised her. As it stared back into her eyes she wished Hiccup was there to explain what was going on.

Then without warning Toothless bumped into her chest with his snout with enough force to make her fall back on her butt. Giving a yelp of pain she glared at him. Then Toothless advanced on her, forcing her to back away until her back was against the wall. She narrowed her eyes in confusion as the dragon had its head a few inches from her face. The dragon wasn't being violent or aggressive. His eyes were still the friendly round orbs and not the dangerous black slits.

Eyes narrowed in confusion she finally said, "What is it Toothless?"

The dragon just stared at her for a moment before it started making a strange sound. _Hik, Hik, Hik, Hik, Hik._ Then the lower half a fish came out of the dragon's mouth and onto her lap.

"EWWW!" Merida cried in disgust.

Toothless backed away from her and then just stared. Something about his stare made it seem like he was expecting something. She didn't know what to do until he shifted his eyes down to the fish and back up to her face.

Her stomach churned and her face paled as the realization of what the dragon wanted. "Nae. Ah'm not gonna eat this Toothless. There is no way—"

Her protest was cut off as Toothless gave a sad croon and flattened his earflap in disappointment. _Dang it._ She knew the gesture was one of friendship and the dragon's sad face made her feel guilty at turning it down.

_Hiccup is going to pay dearly for this._ She thought while deciding to blame the young man. With a sigh in resignation she opened her mouth before moving it toward the barfed up fish. Pausing just inches away she hesitated in disgust at what she was about to do. Finally she brought her teeth down on the fish and bit down. Pulling away she ripped of a small chunk or the fish and tried not to gag on the slimy feeling in her mouth. Steeling herself she swallowed the chunk down with some effort. She shuddered at the disgusting sensation of the slimy fish going down her throat and had to clap both hands over her mouth to stop herself from vomiting.

"Thank you Toothless," she said weakly to the dragon before patting it on the head.

It smiled at her and purred in delight. Then her turned his head and warbled something to Sharpshot. The small dragon's head perked up and it chirped in reply. Then Toothless warbled again before motioning with his head at Merida.

Merida watched the two dragons' exchange curiously. She found it interesting how the two communicated. Then Sharpshot scurried over to her and sat in her lap. Staring into her eyes it started to make the same noise as Toothless had before and she knew what was coming.

_Oh no. Not again._

* * *

Merida stomped through the hall of the castle in a foul mood. After failing to locate her best friend on her birthday she had been forced to eat not one, but two barfed up fish. After that she adamantly determined that Hiccup was to blame. If she hadn't been looking for him then she would never have asked his dragon for his location and thus she never would have had to eat the nasty fish.

"Oh there you are Mer. Been looking all over for you," said the being of her discontent from behind her.

Whirling around, she saw Hiccup standing a few feet away giver her smile. Normally she would return his smile with her own and greet him back. But right now she was too angry for any of that. Narrowing her eyes at him she slowly stalked forward with her hands balled into fist at her sided.

Hiccup noticing her angry expression, smile vanished and he fidgeted nervously as she approached.

When she finally reached and looked up into his eyes with a cold glare he tried to dispel the tension. "Hi," he said weakly with a nervous smile.

Cocking back her fist she punched him in his shoulder with all her might. The boy gave a yelp in pain that she took satisfaction in, ad dispelled some of her anger.

"Gods Merida. What the Hel was that for?" Hiccup asked indignantly while rubbing his shoulder.

"Where the bloody heck have ye been?" she shouted angrily.

"I had to go into town to deliver a farmer's pitchfork that I repaired. Why? What's wrong?" Hiccup asked slightly concerned.

"You have no idea what I just had to do. I went looking for you and I decided to ask Toothless if he knew where ye went. Then when I found him he knocked me down and barfed up a fish into my lap. And then he wouldn't stop staring at me until I ate it. It was HORRIBLE! And then Sharpshot did the same thing and I had to eat that too," she cried in outrage.

Hiccup took in the information and then had to cover his mouth with a fist to try to suppress the fit of laughter threatening to escape. His shoulder shook as small snorts escaped his mouth.

Merida narrowed her eyes at the Viking as he was on the verge of laughing at her predicament. If he did, he would get it. She cracked her knuckles threateningly and that got him to stop.

Straightening and taking a breath he decided to explain the dragon's behavior. "Well I'm sorry that you had to do that. Really I am. But the dragons know that today is a special day for you and they wanted to do something nice for you," he explained.

"You mean like a birthday present?" She asked wide eyed.

"Yeah. Exactly like a birthday present," Hiccup said with a nod.

With that, her anger dissipated at the dragons' thoughtfulness. She supposed she couldn't be mad at them for that.

"On another note," Hiccup said pulling out something from his pocket. Holding it out in front of her she noticed that it was a medallion. "Happy birthday."

She took the medallion and inspected it. It was nicely made and polished to an amazing finish. It appeared to be a dragon coiled up in a circle. She recognized it as Toothless.

"It's the mark of the dragon academy on Berk. Since you gave me something with a symbol of your home I thought I'd give you something with symbol of something from mine," he said with a smile.

"I love it Hiccup," she said honestly. "Can you put in on for me?" she asked.

He nodded and took the medallion back.

Then turning around she pulled her hair over one shoulder to expose her neck. She flinched a little as his arms came round her and the cool metal of the chain touched her skin. Hearing a click of the clasp and his hand move away she turned around and beamed at him in appreciation.

He smiled back before saying, "Oh and there's one more thing for you upstairs. It's in your room on your bed."

In excitement she quickly turned and ran to her room. Throwing the door open she quickly saw her present laid out on the bed. Inspecting it she smiled wide and squealed in delight when she saw that it was leather armor. It all black and red like Hiccup's. On the chest piece of the armor there was the symbol of her clan stitched into the leather. It also came with brown legging that would make riding and moving about so much easier. With it was a tanned leather skirt with a brown belt. On the forearms of the armor she saw a sheathed dagger. Eagerly, she stripped out of her dress and put on the armor. Inspecting herself in the mirror, she couldn't help but think she looked fierce. Like a warrior. Running out of her room and back downstairs she leapt at him and threw her arms around his neck.

"Oh Hiccup I love it," she said in appreciation.

"Thanks. I thought you might like it. Does it fit well?"

"Yes it does thank you," she paused as she something struck her. "How'd you know how to size it," she said flushing slightly.

"I asked the maids for your measurements," he answered nonchalantly.

She nodded in understanding and listened as Hiccup explained a little about the design. He also pointed out of the hidden bladed that resided throughout the armor. After he'd gone over every detail they walked to the practice ground so Merida could test her ability to maneuver in her new armor. She was delighted at the range of motion the armor allowed her. She spent countless hours doing backflips and cartwheel as Hiccup just watched on at her childish enthusiasm.

* * *

When the sun began to set they went inside to prepare for the celebration that was going to be thrown to honor of her birthday.

Hiccup watched from his seat as Merida danced with her father. The celebration was in full swing for the princess's birthday and it looked like she was having a great time. He was happy that she was enjoying herself and he smiled as he saw her still wearing the medallion he had given her. He glad she had liked both gifts. He had decided to add the medallion as a gift at the last moment and spent several day working on it nonstop.

He looked around and saw the queen supervising the staff. She was keeping herself busy directing them to get more food or to walk around to ensure that the guests drinks goblets were full of drink. She also kept an eye on anyone who looked like they had had a little too much to drink and would have guards escort them out if they became too rowdy.

Hiccup was enjoying himself. Dressed in the kilt with the tartan of the Dunbroch clan and wearing his bear skin cape he watched the villagers, guards, and royal family dance with a smile on his face. The food had been delicious and the desserts were to die for. At the start of the lively music Merida had leapt up and asked everyone to join her on the dance floor. Dancing with her father first she changed partners and danced with anyone who asked her.

Throwing himself in the chair next to him the king panted in exhaustion. "Whoa boy. Getting old," he joked.

Hiccup chuckled at his side and continued to watch the princess. He couldn't take his eyes off her. She looked amazing with her red hair alive and moving like it was made of fire. She wore a shimmering blue dress with gold trimming that looked amazing on her frame.

"Don't look now lad, but it looks like ye got some admirers," the king said snapping him from his staring.

Gazing the direction the king was looking he saw a group of girls that looked to be his age huddled together and whispering amongst themselves. They appeared to be talking about him as they would point at him and giggle while flashing him smoldering smiles. Hiccup flushed red and felt his mouth go dry. He had never been good with women. Even though he had been with Astrid, she had been the one to make the advances so he had no idea how to approach them. He also really doubted that the head on Viking approach would work with Scottish girls.

"Why don't you ask one of them to dance lad," the king whispered encouragingly.

"What? No..no…I mean I couldn't do that. I'm terrible at dancing," Hiccup stammered out.

"Come on lad, I know my wife has given you lesson so you can't be that bad," Fergus said scoffing at his excuse. At his hesitation he continued, "You're trying to start a new life here lad. And a life includes love, a nice lass, and maybe a family someday," the king said with a wink.

Hiccup nodded lightly at the king's words. He knew the king had a point but he was too shy and awkward to do anything. Without a doubt, the Scottish had some pretty women among them. Unlike in Berk there was also plenty to choose from with the large population of the Dunbroch clan. Suddenly Hiccup panicked as one of the girls detached from the group and began making her way towards his table. Looking around he attempted to get up in a manner that didn't make it look like he was running away scared.

But the king sensing his thoughts grabbed him by the shoulder and pushed him down and back into his seat.

Looking at the king bewilders he was met with a mischievous smile. He just about to make another attempt to stand and get away when a figure stood in front of his seat.

"Excuse me sir. Ah would like it very much if ye would ask me to dance," the girl said looking down at her feet shyly while fiddling with her hands nervously.

Hiccup's mouth went dry as he stared into the face of the girl. She was very pretty. She had long blonde hair with blue eyes and a small nose. She was slender but with a full figure. She had an hourglass figure that Hiccup couldn't help but notice as his eyes wandered down her body. She wore a simple yellow dress that hugged her body well. Snapping his gaze up, he remembered she had asked him a question. It would be rude to say no to the girl, so swallowing hard he stood up and cleared his throat. "Um…yeah sure. I mean…would you like to dance?" He said while offering his hand.

She looked up at him and gave him a sweet smile. With a nod she took his hand and allowed him to lead her to the dance floor.

Looking back at the king, he saw he had an amused smile on his face and waved to him. Rolling his eyes he took his partner to the dance floor and jumped into a familiar lively dance the queen had shown him.

For the next hour Hiccup had a great time with his dance partner. He was by no means the best dancer, but he didn't mess up to badly thanks to the queen's lesson. The girl seemed to be enjoying herself as well as she smiled and laughed whenever Hiccup would spin her or put his arm to her waist. They must have dance to at least four of five songs before she pulled away with an apologetic smile on her face.

"Thank you sir. That was really fun. But Ah'm afraid ah have to go now," she said softly.

"Oh yeah that's fine," Hiccup said while rubbing the back of his neck. "Um…I didn't get your name. If you wanted to tell me to it that is," Hiccup said hurriedly.

"It's Fiona," she said with a small smile. "I work at the bread shop in town. If you were curious," she added shyly.

"It was nice to meet you Fiona. I'm Hiccup if you didn't know," Hiccup said with a smile.

"You too," she was about to turn to walk away when she stopped. Taking a breath she clenched her fists and quickly stepped in and stood on her tip toes to give Hiccup a light kiss on his cheek. With that done she quickly turned away with her head down and hurried off.

Hiccup stood there wide eyed at the surprise peck on the cheek. He watched the girl go and smiled after her. He was sure he looked like an idiot as he just stood there with a dazed look on his face smiling to himself, but he was just too happy to care. Suddenly a poke to the ribs and turned his head to the right to the face of Merida, giving him a cheeky smile.

"What are you looking at," he said trying to frown at her but failing.

"Oh nothing. Quite the charmer ye are," she said amused.

"I don't know what you're talking about. We were just dancing," Hiccup said hurriedly.

"Sure you were. Ah don't suppose you' do me the honor of a dance?"

Realizing the music had become slower he figured he had one more left in him. "Of course not you majesty. It would be my honor," he said mockingly.

She rolled her eyes before taking his hand and pulling him into the crowd. She put a hand on his shoulder while he reached his arm around to place a hand at her back. She then place her other arm in the crook of his elbow and they slowly began to sway to the music.

"So. Good birthday?" Hiccup asked casually.

"Aye one of the best," she said with a nod and a smile.

"How about your presents? Any favorites?"

"Meh. A lot of the usual. Dresses, a new bow, a sword, but I liked you're the best."

He felt pride at hearing that. He was glad he could make something that made her happy. He liked to make her happy. Her smile was always pleasant and could brighten up his day no matter the occasion.

Suddenly locking eyes, they felt an unfamiliar feeling wash over them. Hiccup gazed into her blues eyes. Eyes that reminded him of the sky and the sea and found himself trapped in them. Merida gazed into his green eyes. Eyes that reminders her of the forests and the plains of the land she held so dear to her heart and couldn't look away. Without realizing it Hiccup started to inch his face towards hers. Focusing on her pink, soft looking, and inviting lips. Merida breath caught in her throat and her heart beat madly in her chest. Yet for some reason she didn't feel the desire to pull away. She just waited and closed her eyes halfway as Hiccup's face grew closer.

Within inches of her face Hiccup knew it was too late for him to stop. Even though a small part of him was telling him to. It just felt right.

But unfortunately someone had come to interrupt the moment. With a sudden weight landing on his head; the moment quickly dissipated as he heard the familiar chirp of Sharpshot, who had come to fetch his master for bed.

Suddenly both Viking and princess were nervous as could be. Flushing deep shaded of red they back away from each other and looked away nervously. Hiccup rubbed the back of his neck while Merida rubbed her arms.

"Well…um it looks like somebody thinks it time for bed. So…goodnight princess. And happy birthday," he stammered out quickly.

"Aye goodnight," Merida answered still not meeting his eyes.

With a nod he ducked his head and turned to make his way to the stairs. Watching him go, Merida brought her hand up to touch her lips. She thought about what almost happened. She found it very odd that for some reason, deep down insider of her, she wished it had.

* * *

At the door to his room Hiccup released a breath and leaned back against the door. Reaching up he plucked the Terror off his head and held him in front of him. The Terror gave him an inquisitive chirp and licked it eye.

Chuckling lightly he whispered quietly to the Terror, "Thanks buddy. You just stopped me from doing something really, really, really stupid."

The Terror cocked its head, wondering what he had meant.

Sighing, he took a breath before turning to go into his room. Hopefully with sleep he would stop thinking about how much he regretted the Terror interrupting him from kissing the princess.

_Doubt it_, he thought to himself.

* * *

**Hope you like.**

**Very long chapter **


	13. Chapter 13

**The Girl**

That night Hiccup hardly slept. He tossed and turned endlessly trying to rid himself of the memory of almost kissing Merida. He couldn't believe that he had almost done that. Finally after a few hours of the scene replaying infinitely over in his mind he got some sleep. It didn't last long however as Toothless soon nudged him to go flying. With a groan he got out of bed and dressed before saddling up Toothless and going flying.

In the sky and with the cool breeze rushing past him, Hiccup collected his thoughts. He liked Merida. He had realized this some time ago since his stay in the castle, but their encounter last night confirmed it. Despite knowing how he felt for some time, Hiccup refused to act on it. The initial reason being that he still had feeling for Astrid. But Hiccup came to terms with that fact that he may never see her again. He decided that he didn't want to be alone for the rest of his life pining after her so he had decided that he would try to meet a girl someday. Then the reasons shifted to fear that Merida simply wouldn't feel the same. Merida constantly referred to Hiccup as not only her best friend, but her first, and so he thought that she simply wouldn't seem him in any other light. The other reason was he couldn't shake the feeling that pursuing Merida would be betraying the king and queen's hospitality. They had allowed him, an outsider, into their homes out of the kindness of their hearts. It just felt wrong to think of wanting to become something more with the princess.

Oh yeah. And then there was the fact that Merida was the princess. She was royalty. One day she would be expected to marry a lord or at least a man of great means and status. Both of which Hiccup was neither. While he was a Viking chief's son, while in this land he was nothing. What could he possibly have to offer her?

Sighing to himself he directed Toothless back to the castle. After landing and getting Toothless his breakfast, he left his companion to freshen up for the day. He had a day off today. He wondered what he should do with it. After washing himself he plopped down on his bed and stared at the ceiling and contemplated what he should do. He didn't feel like speaking to Merida just yet. Not after last night. Once again flashing back to the events of last night he remembered the other girl he had an encounter with last night.

Fiona. He remembered the girl with a fond smile. She was very pretty he thought. He supposed he could go see her. She had told him where she worked after all. Why would she tell him that unless she wanted him to come see her? Unless she was just stating a fact to be polite. That seemed a little absurd. Why would you just tell a stranger that? Thinking it over, he decided he would go see her.

Getting up and walking to his wardrobe he put on a blue silk tunic that had been given to him by the monarchs. Over it he decided to wear his personal kilt with his unique tartan that the queen had given him. Then he slipped on his pants (no matter how much he liked the Scotts clothing; he never felt comfortable without pants) and his boot. Looking in a small mirror he check his face and hair. Nodding in satisfaction he placed the mirror down and turned to his bed.

"Hey Sharpshot I'm heading into town. Wanna come?" Hiccup asked the small lump on the bed.

The lump wriggled before the small dragon crawled out from underneath the blankets and flew over to land on Hiccup's shoulder. Smiling, he scratched the Terror underneath the chin and walked out of his room. Coming down the stairs and into the main hall he saw the queen in her usual seat going over some papers.

"Morning your majesty," Hiccup greeted.

Looking up from her papers the queen smiled and took in his appearance, "Good morning Hiccup. I must say lad you look quite handsome."

Rubbing the back of his head shyly at her compliment he explained, "Thanks your majesty. I'm going in to town to see…well…there was this girl last night." Hiccup started to turn red at remembering Fiona.

"Oh you mean the lass you were dancing with last night. Going to call on her then?" she asked inquisitively.

"Umm. Yeah. I mean…we seemed to get along, and I have a day off, so I thought I might go say hi…or something," Hiccup stuttered while fiddling with his hands.

"Well alright dear. Have a good time," the queen said before turning back to her papers.

"Yes ma'am. I will do that," Hiccup said with a nervous smile before exiting the double doors of the main hall.

The queen was happy for Hiccup. The lad was terribly shy around women. It was funny that he didn't seem to notice the effect he had on them. Almost all the maid staff were quite attracted to him. The younger staff would even fix themselves up and adjust their bosoms whenever the young man passed by. A young lass might be just the thing he needed to overcome his nervousness around them. A lass might also be a good reason for the lad to stay. Suddenly she heard the doors open and turned to see Hiccup enter. She watched as he came over with his head down and pulled up a chair next to her.

"Ok. Soooo…in the two seconds I was outside, something occurred to me," Hiccup paused to take a breath. "I have absolutely NO idea how to call on a women. I mean sure I had a girlfriend back on Berk, but she was the one who made all the advances. But I'm sure Scottish girls expect the guys to make the advances and first moves. But me, I got no moves. My move is to try not to trip over myself. Was this a stupid thing for me to even consider? Yeah it was wasn't it? I'm just gonna forget the whole thing and go up—" Hiccup's rambling was stopped when Elinor reach out to grab his shoulder.

"Calm down dear," the queen said calmly.

Hiccup nodded and took a breath through the nose. Then he released it and nodded to Elinor.

"Now then," Elinor began while putting the papers down on the table. "Calling on a lass isn't that difficult dear. I'll give you some advice," the queen offered.

Sighing in relief Hiccup grabbed the queen's hands in gratitude, "Oh gods THANK YOU.""

The queen chuckled lightly before clearing her throat and straightening herself up. "The first thing you need Hiccup, is confidence. Women like confidence. But make sure your confidence doesn't become arrogance. Remember, confidence not arrogance," the queen said firmly.

"Oh that is good," Hiccup said with wide eyes as he took the advice to heart.

"The next thing you need to do is show that you're truly interested in her. Ask her things about herself. Her life, her family, her plans for the futures, things like that."

Hiccup nodded. _Genius_. Hiccup thought to himself. The queen was truly brilliant.

"Be charming and funny. Women like a man who can make them laugh," the queen said with a smile.

Hiccup nodded in understanding.

"Oh and always remember Hiccup, be yourself," she said while squeezing his hand lightly. Hiccup was a great lad. She knew that that girl was going to adore him if he followed her advice.

Hiccup took all the things the queen said into consideration. It all seemed like sound advice. The queen wouldn't steer him wrong. Smiling he stood up and made his way to the door. Before he exited he called out a thank you to the queen and left.

The queen watched him go with a smile. Returning back to the letters she had been reviewing she silently wished the young man luck.

* * *

Walking through the town, Hiccup was aware of the stares directed at him. Or more specifically, Sharpshot perched on his shoulder. The crowd was always amazed at seeing a dragon. The sight never seemed to get old. He never brought Toothless into town though. His very presence spooked the animals and the people were terrified of him whenever he flew over the town.

Somewhere in the distance he heard a shout, "HA I KNEW IT! YOU ALL THOUGHT AH WAS DAFT! BUT I KNEW!"

Hiccup just kept walking. _Wonder what that was about?_ He thought to himself. Making his way to the bread shop he repeated the queen's advice through his head. _Confidence not Arrogance. Ask about her. Be funny. Be yourself. _With the bread shop in site he saw Fiona on the other side of the counter. She was speaking to customers and exchanging their gold for loafs of bread and other things they made. She was wearing a simple tan dress and a baker's apron.

Suddenly overcome with nervousness Hiccup turned on his heel and started to walk back to the castle. Stopping a few feet into his walk he stomped his foot, clenched his hand, and turned around to walk back. Seeing her once again he immediately whirled around and started walking away. Then he stopped and ran a hand through his hair. _Get it together Hiccup. It's just a girl. _Taking a deep breath he steeled himself, turned around, and marched to the bread shop. Reaching the counter, Fiona had her back to him as she was rearranging something in the shop.

"Hello. Can I get some Lucky Tatties please?" Hiccup asked to get her attention.

"No problem. You can have twelve for a reasonable value of—," the girl stopped mid-sentence as she turned around and stared wide eyed at Hiccup.

"Hello there," Hiccup said with a shy smile.

Fiona blushed a deep red and looked down and her feet. Fiddling with the end of her apron she looked up nervously. "Hello. Ah-Ah didn't think you would come," she said quietly.

"Well lucky for you I love Lucky Tatties," Hiccup joked. The girl smiled and chuckled lightly along with him. "But really, I was hoping to see you. I was hoping we could walk around and maybe talk a little. If you're not too busy that is."

Fiona blushed deeply before saying, "One moment please." With that she walked to the back of the shop. After a few moments she came back with a boy a few years younger than her and walked to the side of the shop before exiting the door and coming around to front to where Hiccup was waiting.

She looked down when he turned to face her. He noticed that she was holding something in her hand. Lifting up a small sack, she quietly said, "Some Lucky Tatties. On the house."

He smiled and accepted them. "Why thank you milady."

She blushed at what he called her. Looking up, she smiled and then her eyes widened as she glanced to the thing sitting on his shoulder.

Hiccup noticed her gaze shift to Sharpshot and spoke up, "Oh yeah. This is Sharpshot. I brought him along. Don't worry he's nice." He said to reassure her.

She took a step closer and continued to gaze in wonder at the creature from myth. "Ah've never seen them up close before. Ah've seen you walking around with this one, but to see it up close. It's amazing," she breathed.

Sharpshot chirped in appreciation at her compliment and raised his head up high.

"Do you want to touch him?" Hiccup asked.

"May I?" she asked already reaching her hand up.

He nodded and she slowly inched her hand forward nervously. When she was within a few inches of Sharpshot she paused and waited with trembling hand. Sharpshot decided to make it easier on the girl and pressed his snout into her palm and purred. She smiled and then scratched the Terror on the chin, much to his delight.

"He likes you," he told her with a smile.

She smiled back. Dropping her hand, she thanked him and blushed.

He smiled and nodded. Then he dismissed Sharpshot, ordering him to return to the castle. The Terror complied and chirped a goodbye to Fiona before taking off and flying in the direction of the castle. Fiona watched him fly off with amazement before turning back to Hiccup.

"So…how about we take a walk up to the castle and I show you my other dragon," he offered. He hoped that she would like Toothless as well. Plus, the walk up to the castle would give them time to talk. He noticed Fiona blush a deep shade of red suddenly. She brought her hands to her cheeks in an attempt to hide her face. Before Hiccup could inquire as to what was wrong she spoke.

"Oh um…that is…ah do like you Hiccup. But ah'm not quite ready for things like that. Ah was hoping to save myself for marriage. You ken?" She stammered out while fiddling with her hands.

Hiccup stood there confused as to what she was referring. When it dawned on him, he frantically said, "Oh no I didn't mean that. I meant the dragon that I fly around on."

Fiona blushed in embarrassment before replying, "Oh ok. Sure, that would be lovely."

Hiccup nodded before offering his arm for her to take. She hesitated but accepted and hooked her arm around his as he led her to the castle.

"So Fiona, tell me about yourself. How old are you for starters?"

"I'm 18 sir," Fiona replied.

"Ok. Tell me about your family?"

"I have three brothers and one sister. One of my brothers and my sister are older while the other two brothers are younger."

"And your family owns the bread shop?"

"Yes. Been in the family for years," she said fondly. "We supply the whole village with our bread," she added with pride.

"That's cool. I've never been good at baking. Funny because at what point I seriously thought of being a bread making Viking," he joked. To his delight she laughed. She seemed to be enjoying his company. He noticed her body language seemed less tense.

"What about you sir? How old are you?" She said looking up to him.

"You can just call me Hiccup you know. I'm 20," he informed her.

"Ok then Hiccup. I heard that you were from a place called Bark?" She asked unsure.

"It's Berk. Yeah it's a small island very far from here."

"Oh ok. Do you like Dunbroch?" She asked, curious.

"It pretty nice. The land is beautiful, the people are friendly, and it's nice to be relatively average sized instead of puny," he said with a grin.

She laughed lightly and asked another question. This went on for a while as they made their way up to the castle. They got to know each other, talking about their families, their experiences, their hobbies, and their interests. Hiccup even gave her the shortened version on how he met Toothless and lost his foot. She listened and was amazed with him. As they continued to talk, he led her to the practice grounds, where he assumed Toothless would be at the time. Walking onto the grounds with his attention focused on Fiona he was surprised when she suddenly stopped. With her gaze focused on something ahead of them she yelped and ducked behind him. Looking forward he smiled when he saw it was Toothless walking towards them.

"Hey bud. I thought you'd be here," he said smiling and greeting his best friend.

Toothless warbled at him in greeting and noticed the stranger hiding behind Hiccup. It was a female he noticed when she peeked out from behind Hiccup. When she saw him she squeaked in fear and hid behind Hiccup again. Curious, he walked around Hiccup to get a closer look at the girl. When she saw him again she quickly went to Hiccup's other side and clutched him tightly. Toothless was amused at the girl's reaction and kept trying to come around to look at her; causing her to cling to Hiccup and keep circling around him.

Hiccup recognized Toothless was doing this on purpose and spoke up, "Ok bud that's enough. You're scaring her," he said chastising the dragon.

Toothless huffed in disappointment at his fun being ruined, but complied and sat on his haunches in front of Hiccup.

Hiccup turned to address the girl behind him, "Hey it's alright Fiona. Toothless won't hurt you."

Fiona peeked out nervously from behind Hiccup to look at the dragon. It was sitting on its haunches and didn't look ready to attack. Then it opened it mouth and smiled at her. With its big round eyes and gummy smile, it looked almost cute she thought. Gaining confidence she stepped out from behind Hiccup and stood next to him.

Hiccup looked to the girl and was glad she wasn't as scared. "A lot of people are scared of him the first time. As long as you don't present yourself as a threat you'll be fine," he said to reassure her. When she nodded in understanding he decided to take it a step further. "Want to touch him?"

She turned her gaze up to him and stared wide eyed. "Really?" She asked in excitement.

He nodded and held out his hand, motioning her to go ahead. Slowly and nervously she took a step towards Toothless and raised her arm. She was trembling with excitement and fear at being able to touch such a creature. She had seen him flying over the village many times and was always curious about him. She stretched out her arm, not entirely sure what would happen. This creature had single handedly fought off the raiders as she had been told. It could probably easily kill her without a second thought. Keeping her arm outstretched she stopped and waited.

Toothless, sensing her apprehension stepped forward to meet her hand.

When the dragon stepped forward, she almost jumped back in fright. But Hiccup had said that he wouldn't harm her and she trusted him. When its snout met her hand and she felt him rumble against her palm, she smiled wider than she ever had in her life. She laughed, absolutely giddy and began to rub the dragon on its head.

Toothless liked this new girl. She seemed nice and was eager to scratch him like he liked.

Hiccup saw the girl fall in love with Toothless and smiled. How could she not? Toothless was absolutely amazing. "I don't suppose you'd want to go flying on him?" He offered.

She stood straight up and whirled around to face him. Her mouth was agape as she seemed to be trying to form coherent words, but nothing was coming out. Finally she closed her mouth and gave an excited nod.

Hiccup smiled and walked over to Toothless. His companion sensed his intention and lowered himself to the ground. Hiccup mounted and slipped his foot into the stirrup. Then he offered a hand to Fiona.

She accepted it and jumped on. Then she grabbed Hiccup around the middle and pressed herself against his back.

Hiccup stiffened and blushed lightly at the feeling of her. She was….bigger in the front then he was used to. The thought made him shudder. Shaking his head to dispel the thought he turned slightly to ask if she was prepared. "Ready?"

Fiona swallowed and considered getting off the dragon. What would her father say? Was this crazy? Who would've thought that she would be about to fly on a real life dragon? Steeling herself she gave an affirmative nod. Seeing Hiccup's smile she felt at ease.

Smiling, he gave Toothless the go ahead and he complied. Leaping into the air, he felt Fiona's grip tighten and her give a wordless shout before settling down for the ride as they levelled out. He heard her gasp behind him and he smiled. This was a usual reaction he had become accustomed to by now.

He turned to look at the girl. She was smiling and looking all around as they flew over the castle and to the forests. He really liked her. And no one would stop him from pursuing her. He decided he would see where this relationship would go. With any luck, it might even make his feeling for Merida fade away. He really hoped it would.

* * *

Merida walked through the hall of the castle in search of her best friend. After their encounter last night Merida chalked up their almost kiss to too much wine. Hiccup and she were just friends after all nothing more. Still not finding her friend she went to the great hall and was greeted to her family having lunch.

"Mum, have you seen Hiccup anywhere?" she asked her mother.

"Oh yes dear. Hiccup went into town to call on a young lass," Elinor said with a smile. She hoped her advice had worked.

Merida took in her mother's answer with a blank face. Then she burst out laughing. She laughed so hard she started snorting and clutching her stomach. Wiping away a tear she said, "Oh good one mum. Hiccup call on a lass," she paused to look at her mother and was surprised to see she wasn't indicating she was joking. "You're serious?" she asked incredulously.

"Yes dear," Elinor said matter of factly.

"Well ah say good on him. That young lass was a bonnie thing. She'll be good for the lad," Fergus said with a smile.

The queen nodded in agreement and resumed her meal.

Merida took in all the information with skepticism. Hiccup trying to court a girl? It was almost absurd. He was terrified of women from what she observed. From what she could gather, he seemed to have a thing for blondes, given that she would catch him staring at them when they walked through town together. She vaguely remember Hiccup mentioning that his lass from Berk, Astrid, was a blonde and attributed his preference to that. Sometimes when Hiccup would space out and stare at a girl while she was talking to her friends or going about her business, and then said girl would look in his direction, he would quickly hide behind a corner, jump behind some barrels, or when nothing was available, use Merida's great mane of hair as an impromptu barrier. She remembered one incident that ended in a disaster when Hiccup attempted to approach a girl.

* * *

**Flashback**

"Hiccup, why don't you just go talk to her?" Merida said with an exasperated sigh.

Hiccup remained silent as he peeked over the barely he was currently crouched behind to look at a girl with dirty blond hair a few yards away. She was chatting with her friends and looking oh so pretty.

"You're being ridiculous," Merida said with her hands on her hips.

"You're being ridiculous," Hiccup shot back lamely. He knew she was right, but still.

"You've fought dragons for bloody sake. She's just a girl," Merida relied rubbing her forehead and praying for patience at her friend's silliness.

"I'd rather face a hundred Red Deaths. Dragon are easy. All they will do is set you on fire and eat you at the worst. Girls will make you feel bad and kill you on the inside," Hiccup replied with a hint of sarcasm.

"Just try. What the worst that can happen?" Merida said in encouragement.

Mulling over her argument, Hiccup made a decision. Taking a breath he stood up and walked around the barrels, passed his friend, and approached the girl. With a thin layer of sweat forming on his brow and his heart beating rapidly in his chest he slowly made his way over to the girl. Coming up behind her he cleared his throat to get her attention. Pausing in her conversation, she turned around to face him and offered him a friendly smile. Taking a small breath he tried to sound as casual as he could, "Hello there. I'm Hiccup," he greeted.

Still smiling the girl returned a greeting, "Hello sir. Something I can help you with?" she asked while cocking her head to the side inquisitively.

Swallowing, Hiccup reached out his arm to lean on a nearby water barely to his left before answering, "Well you see, I just wanted to—," but Hiccup's answer was cut short as everything went wrong.

After pressing his weight on the barrel and leaning to the left, the cover slid off causing Hiccup to stumble to the side and knock his head against the barrel. The force of his head hitting the barely caused water to splash out and soak his head and shirt. The girl and her friend gasped in shock. Attempting to get up and walk away with his remaining dignity intact, Hiccup failed to notice a man walking by with a sack of flour. Bumping into the man hard, the man proceeded to accidentally drop the sack of flour onto Hiccup's head. And maybe because Loki felt like a laugh that day, the sack burst open on him, covering his whole body in flour. Standing there and feeling absolutely mortified, Hiccup's only silver lining was that the flour was covering up the intense tomato red blush he was sporting in embarrassment.

As the girls and everyone around him attempted their best to suppress fits of laughter at the poor young man's expense, and the man carrying the flour gave Hiccup an apology, Hiccup slowly turned around and made his way back to the castle. With his head down he walked past Merida and scowled at her as he saw her hands over mouth and trying her best not to laugh.

After walking a few yards away from her and towards the castle, she caught up with him and attempted to console him.

"Hiccup, that wasn't that bad," she lied. Poorly.

Hiccup stopped walking a whirled around to face her. "Not that bad? The only way that could have gone worse is if I had been set on fire. THIS is why I don't talk to women," Hiccup said while gesturing to his state.

They walked the rest of the way back to the castle in silence. As they entered and the king and queen took sight of Hiccup's state, they inquired as to what happened. Ducking his head Hiccup ascended the stairs before calling out, "I tried talking to a woman," before making his way to his room and not appearing for the rest of the day.

Merida later explained what happened and the monarchs felt bad for the young lad. Hiccup wouldn't go into town for almost three weeks after that incident.

* * *

Hiccup had eventually gotten over that embarrassment but was as adamant as ever about not talking to women. With a shrug Merida took her seat and began to eat. If Hiccup found a lass that made him happy, good for him. She would support him in his decisions.

Merida paused as she noticed a strange sensation that seemed to bubble up within her. It seemed to be squeezing her heart slightly and making her appetite wane.

She decided she would have to meet this girl. As his best friend she had to make sure she was good enough for Hiccup right? It was only natural after all.

_Yep. Good for him._

* * *

After hours of flying, Hiccup decided it was time to take Fiona home. The sun was setting and he was sure that her parents must be wondering where there daughter was. They also might not approve of having their daughter on the back of a dragon either, but that ship sailed a while ago. Hiccup looked over his shoulder at the smiling girl and reflected in the day.

She loved flying. She screamed and hollered all through the first couple of minutes. Then he flew as a more leisurely pace for a while before setting down and a grassy hill and sharing the Lucky Tatties. They were delicious, Hiccup thought as he ate. They were the best Lucky Tatties he'd ever had in his opinion. When he told Fiona so, she beamed with pride and her smile made his heart skip a beat.

Deciding to land in the village, Toothless touched down right outside of her house. He ignored the gasps and the frightened stairs of the townsfolk as he dismounted and lifted Fiona off of Toothless before setting her down. She blushed at his chivalry and thanked him.

They looked in each other's eyes for a few moments in silence, unsure of what to say. Hiccup decided to break the silence by saying, "Well Fiona, today was fun. I won't be free for the next few day, but I was hoping I could see you again. If that's alright with you," Hiccup said nervously.

She smiled at him before answering, "Yes Hiccup that would be lovely…Well…goodnight," she stuttered, quickly adding the last bit. Turning around she abruptly stopped. Then looking in Hiccup's eyes she stepped toward him. She smiled as his eyes got a little wide at her close proximity. Then leaning in and standing on her tip toes she gave him a quick peck on the lips. Flushing red, she stepped back and giggled at his goofy crooked grin. With a quick goodbye to Toothless she walked inside her house and disappeared.

Hiccup stood there smiling after her. He couldn't wipe his smile off his face. It's like it was stuck that way. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Toothless smiling at him with an amused expression. Trying to hide his smile he pushed at his friend's head before saying, "What are you looking at reptile?"

Toothless warbled in laughter before crouching down, indicating for Hiccup to climb on so they could return to the castle. He was happy for his rider. This female was nice and seemed to make Hiccup happy. Anyone who could do that was ok with Toothless.

Mounting Toothless, the pair took off. On their way to the castle Hiccup still had that damned smile on his face. Once there he ran into the queen and she noticed his expression.

"So how did it go then?" she asked.

"It went great your majesty. Your advice worked like a charm," Hiccup answered with gratefulness evident in his voice.

With a smile the queen nodded before continuing on with her business. With that, Hiccup decided to go to bed. Plopping down on his bed he went over the day's events with a smile. Fiona was great. He could definitely see something happening with her. Plus, he hadn't thought about Merida at all while with her.

He groaned slightly at realizing that he had thought about not thinking about Merida.

_This might be harder than I thought_, he sighed mentally. Still, today had been a good day. He couldn't wait to see Fiona again.

* * *

Hey every body. Sorry for the late update. Just been decompressing from school and working on my other fanfic.


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